Circles
by Neuropsych
Summary: The story comes round and the future is revealed... WARNING: Major character death rated for language, mostly this shouldn't be too violent
1. Chapter 1

_**Circles** _

_Author's Note: okay, this one is set in the future - by popular demand that just happened to be what I was planning, anyways. Where in the future exactly will become obvious by events and clues that I slip into the story itself. Also, this is really going to start sad, just as a warning, but I promise you'll have a happy ending by the end, so don't avoid reading it. I've had this one running through my mind ever since I was talked in to continuing this series after I finished_ Scions_. So read the chapters before your kids are allowed to – if you're worried about them being upset – and don't forget to review if you can, and don't send me any hate mail, okay?_

**Disclaimer**: _I'm not making any money off this story, nor do I claim rights to any character that I personally didn't create. So don't sue me._

_Here we go!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

The room was utterly silent. Jack O'Neill (formerly _Colonel Jack O'Neill_, but now he answered mostly to _'Mr. President'_) was alone, watching the door and waiting with a hard fist of fear tightly clenched around his heart, making his breathing shallow and his stomach tense enough that it actually hurt. He wouldn't allow anyone to be with him, and refused to look anywhere but at the door, praying silently to himself, and trying to make things turn out for the best Although he just knew it wasn't going to happen. He could feel it.

The door opened, startling him despite the fact that he'd been watching it so closely, and the doctor walked out. He knew instantly what she was going to say simply by the expression on her face.

"He's dying, Jack…"

The hand around his heart contracted, and he felt like he was going to throw up, but he fought it down, clenching his jaw tightly and digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands to give himself some focus.

"There must be something you can do…"

Monica Ray felt the tears she'd been trying to hold back start streaming down her cheeks, and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. "He's old, and tired and so battered from all the…" she trailed off as her throat was choked off by a huge lump that took a moment to swallow, and shook her head again. "It's not fair to him to make him stay…"

"I _need_ him, Monica…" Jack said in an agonized whisper, his own voice choked as well.

She nodded.

"I know…"

There was a long silence, and she spoke again.

"Where's Sam, Jack?"

He understood the reason for the question immediately, and felt the hand around his heart tighten further.

"She's in Colorado…"

Jack looked towards the door.

"Is he suffering?"

She shook her head.

"I gave him a pain killer. He's awake, though." She hesitated, hating that she was hurting him, but knowing it was necessary. "You need to make a decision…"

Jack nodded, feeling tears threaten. There _wasn't_ a decision to make, really. If there had been, she wouldn't have made it so clear that there was no hope.

"Can I see him?"

"Of course."

She turned and led him back into the little exam room, closing the door behind them. The Secret Service already didn't like it that he was alone, and she knew if she didn't close the door they'd take it as an excuse to find him and join him. This was definitely something he needed his privacy for.

Lying on the lone table in the room, warmly covered with a blue blanket and attached to several machines which were keeping track of his vitals, was Jaffer. The black lab looked up as Jack walked in and whined softly, his tail thumping the table gently as it tiredly wagged a greeting.

The threatening tears broke free, and Jack walked over, his vision blurred as he crouched down by the table and put his face close to his baby's.

"Hey little man…"

The once black muzzle was almost completely gray, now, and the eyes that had once been so lively were dull with a mix of drugs, remembered pain and age, but there was no mistaking the love that was in them when Jaffer moved his head to whuffle his cheek warmly.

Jack wrapped his arms around the lab's head, holding him as closely as he dared. Even as he did so, he knew that there was nothing he could do for him. Nothing but the hardest thing he'd ever have to do.

"It won't hurt?" he asked, his voice muffled by Jaffer's fur.

Monica shook her head, her heart breaking at the scene in front of her.

"I'd never let it hurt, Jack. He won't feel a thing."

She'd known Jaffer almost as long as Jack had, and loved him as much as anyone. Had even moved her practice to Washington DC when Jack had asked her to, just so she could be close to him.

Jack knew that.

He nodded, but didn't move his head.

"Do it…"

True to her word, Jaffer never felt the injection that delivered the fatal dose of painkiller. All he felt was his Jack's arms around him, and his Jack's love coursing between their tight bond, only to be reciprocated by his own.

He licked the face that was pressed up against him once more and sighed deeply, relieved, while Jack held his baby close, silently begging him not to leave him and knowing he was going to.

Moments later, the big lab disobeyed Jack for the very last time, and sighed once more, then didn't move.

Jack O'Neill felt a lurch deep inside him; something that was so profound and intense it actually stopped his heart for a moment. Then he felt a snap as something broke inside, and an emptiness that left him heartbroken and bereft. He buried his face in the soft fur of the lab who had been his best friend and staunchest ally through so many of the most important events of his life and cried.

OOOOOOOOO

Monica Ray cried, too. Silent tears were coursing down her cheeks as she crossed the room and picked up the phone.

"I need you to get hold of the First Lady," she said, softly, to avoid disturbing Jack – who didn't hear anything. "Immediately."


	2. 02

The house wasn't all that big, but it was guarded like Fort Knox – even more so, really. There were four heavily armed people outside the perimeter, each watching the surrounding area carefully, although they didn't really expect trouble. It was just habit. And the fact that one of the people in the house was their sole responsibility.

Inside the house, aware of the security but used to it by now, Samantha O'Neill leaned back into the sofa and took another sip of her tea, enjoying a little peace and quiet. Something she rarely had nowadays.

"You're _really_ going to send her to camp?"

Janet smiled from her seat across from her best friend.

"Why not? You sent Jake."

"He's older."

"You're going to send _Nia_."

"Jack's _making_ me."

Janet snorted, amused. Jack O'Neill hadn't actually _made_ Sam do anything in a long time. Not since he stopped being her commanding officer. She was sending her daughter to camp for the same reason Janet was sending hers. Camp was fun. And camp Millcreek was an integral part of the lives of those who had been there.

"Emmett wants her to go. And I agree."

Sam smiled.

"Then her and-"

"Excuse me…?"

Both women turned at the deferential knock on the door and the soft interruption. It was one of the Secret Service agents who had traveled with Sam to Colorado – and traveled everywhere else she went as well.

"You have a call, Ma'am," he said, bringing her his cell phone.

Sam smiled.

"_Sam_. Not 'Ma'am'. "

"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry."

She rolled her eyes; the Secret Service guys (and women) were great, but they were so formal – even after so many years. It drove Sam nutty, sometimes. She took the phoned from him.

"Hello?"

The smile faded immediately, and to Janet's surprise – and concern – tears welled in Sam's eyes, and had to try twice before she could speak. And even then it was a hoarse, barely recognizable sound.

"Where is he?"

There was a slight pause as the person on the other line answered, and Sam nodded, brushing away tears that were replaced instantly with others.

"I'll be right there…"

She blindly handed the phone to the Secret Service agent, and broke down into helpless tears. Janet was instantly at her side.

"Sam? What is it?"

"I have to get home. Now."

"Is it Jack?"

She shook her head, sniffing, and the Secret Service agent handed her his handkerchief, which she took with a soundless nod of thanks.

"It's Jaffer."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Jack…"

She'd left him alone in the room for almost twenty minutes. Long enough to make a few calls, and for her to confer with the head of Jack's Secret Service escort.

She'd returned to find him in the exact same position he'd been in when she'd left; cradling Jaffer's still body like a child clutching a security blanket about to be taken away to be washed. Only in Jack's case, he knew the moment he let go it was going to be permanent.

Not surprisingly, he didn't answer, his face buried in Jaffer's neck, the once silky fur now soaked with Jack's tears, and lifeless.

She walked over and rested her hand lightly on his shoulder, and could feel his sobs, even though she couldn't hear them, and it broke her heart all over again.

"Jack… you need to let him go."

He shook his head, but didn't answer, and Monica pulled on his shoulder slightly, intending to give him a slight nudge in the direction he needed to go. He didn't move.

"Jack…"

"I can't…"

It was a heartbroken sound, and even more; Monica knew that he was telling the truth. He literally couldn't let go. She'd seen it before with people who were particularly close to their pets – although she'd never seen a bond like Jack and Jaffer shared – and Monica let go of his shoulder and stood close to him, giving him what little support she could while he cried. Some people needed more time, and she'd called someone who might be able to get through to him better than she was able. She'd support him until he arrived. It was all she could do.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Look. I'm going to tell you this one time, and one time only. You're here to learn, so get your head out of your ass and pay attention to me. I want you to pretend – you _can_ pretend, can't you? – that we just came through the stargate – that's the big round thing there in front of us in case you didn't know – and there are seven Jaffa standing in front of us who want nothing more than to blow the shit out of you. Now what are you going to do?"

The young man nodded is head so hard that those watching were surprised it didn't fall off his neck, and he started to bring up the P90 in his hand – when suddenly the gate behind them started to activate.

"Shit!"

Ian Brooks reached out and yanked the youngster off the ramp, pulling him backwards to the only cover in the area – a small mound of dirt that was all that remained of a wall that had once surrounded the stargate. At the same time, he reached for his Glock with his free hand as those with him all raised their own weapons.

The planet was supposed to be relatively safe – but you never knew.

The gate flared, and everyone tensed, waiting to see who emerged from the event horizon. And waited a little longer.

_"Colonel Brooks? This is Doctor Weir…"_

Ian scowled, putting his gun back in its holster and reaching for his communications device.

"We're trying to do some training, Doctor Weir…"

Which translated into 'this had better be important…'

Weir didn't even hesitate – and she certainly didn't sound apologetic.

"_We need you to return, Colonel. Something's… come up. It's important."_

"What is it, Doctor Weir. We're pretty busy-"

_"Now, Colonel!"_

The connection went dead, and the stargate disengaged, leaving Ian with a thunderous scowl on his face – and a group of youngsters who didn't dare say a word. His temper was well known – and even the newest of them could tell he was angry. Of course, there were two people in this entire side of the universe who could tell him what to do, and Weir was one of them, so angry or not, they were pretty sure that was the end of their training day.

"Bennett!"

"Sir?"

"Dial Atlantis."

They were all careful to stand well clear of him as the stargate was dialed, and when he gestured for them to precede him, they all practically ran up the small ramp.

"Well, you've certainly made your mark on them."

Ian scowled, and headed for the gate.

"Shut up, McKay."

He stepped through the event horizon and a moment later found himself walking into the control room of the Ancient city of Atlantis. And stopped. Standing in the middle of the room, being watched carefully by a large contingent of armed soldiers – and by Weir, who was standing at the top of the stairs beside Colonel Sheppard – was the last person Ian might have expected to see.

"Chelani."

The Ancient smiled.

"You remember me."

Ian scowled.

"What are you doing here?"

The smile faded instantly.

"We need your help, Ian Brooks."


	3. 03

Another ten minutes passed in silence in the little room before the door opened once more, and Monica felt a slight surge of relief when she saw who walked through the door. Sam O'Neill wasn't in Washington, and wasn't close enough to get there in time to be of use in this initial period of mourning, but Daniel Jackson was – and he was probably the only person that could get Jack to respond to him in the absence of Sam.

The two exchanged a quick glance, and Monica could see that Daniel, too, was affected by the loss of the lab he'd known since he was a puppy. Unlike Jack, however, Daniel wasn't literally prostrate with grief. He hurt, but he could function. And Monica had already explained to him when she'd called him what she needed.

Daniel crossed the room and dropped down beside Jack, who didn't even notice his arrival.

"Jack…"

"He's gone, Daniel…"

Apparently he _had_ noticed, Daniel decided. Just because he was President didn't mean he didn't still have some of the reflexes and habits that had kept him alive for so long.

Daniel nodded, and put his hand on O'Neill's shoulder.

"I know. I can't even imagine how much it hurts."

Jack didn't reply to that. _He_ couldn't believe how much it hurt, either.

Daniel's grip tightened on his shoulder.

"Jack, we need to go."

O'Neill shook his head, still pressed lightly against his baby's fur.

"I can't leave him."

Daniel felt a pang at the hopelessness in his friend's voice, but shook it off and pulled on his shoulder.

"He's gone, Jack. You're not leaving him…"

"Don't say that!"

For the first time, anger broke through the hurt, and Jack looked over at Daniel, his eyes swollen and red.

Daniel didn't even flinch from the shout.

"Don't say that…" Jack repeated, closing his eyes and putting his head back down against Jaffer.

Daniel stood up, and took Jack's arm as he did.

"Come on… We've got to get you out of here."

Predictably, Jack jerked his arm free.

"I don't want to go. I want to stay here."

"You can't," Daniel told him firmly, amazed at just how deep the hurt seemed to run. Jack O'Neill had lost friends before; many times and in many places. Daniel had even been with him some of those times, and he'd never seen such a reaction. "You need to come with me."

"No."

"Jack… you have to talk to Jacob and Nia."

It was a calculated comment. Daniel didn't know for certain where Jake and his little sister were, but he knew they _hadn't_ gone to visit Janet in Colorado with Sam. Which meant that they were with Jack somewhere. And they might even have been around when Jack realized Jaffer was failing.

It worked, too. The hurt in Jack's expression faded just a little, replaced by concern. Jaffer was older than both of the kids, and how did one tell his children that their lifelong playmate wasn't coming back? Which reminded him how much he was going to miss him, too, and almost sent him reeling back once more – if Daniel hadn't caught his arm again.

"I can't tell them…"

"You have to. They shouldn't find out about it on the news."

Which was yet another calculated comment, since Daniel knew that Jack hated the press. But it didn't have the same effect. Jack turned back to Jaffer's still body, and ran his hand along the now brittle-feeling fur.

"I can't leave him, Daniel."

"It'll be okay, Jack."

O'Neill shook his head, allowing his friend to pull him away.

"It'll never be okay again…"

Something inside him had died with Jaffer, and all he could feel in the place that had once been vibrant and warm was a painful emptiness.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ian frowned.

"My help? With what?"

"Who is this?" McKay asked, curiously.

The Ancient looked at him, unperturbed at the interruption.

"My name is Chelani."

"He's an Ancient," Ian said.

"Really?"

McKay came a little closer, obviously trying to get a better look at the young Ancient, and Ian scowled.

"He's not going to do tricks, you know."

Sheppard and Weir had both walked down the stairs to the main level of the control room and moved up beside Ian.

"He's already done one," Weir said., wryly.

Ian looked over, curiously, well aware that there must be something interesting to the story for her to use that tone of voice. It was Sheppard who replied, though.

"He popped in out of no where."

McKay frowned.

"How did he do _that_? We have the shield up."

"He's ascended," Ian explained. "The shield wouldn't stop him."

"Really?" Now McKay's expression was even more curious – and somewhat excited. "Ascended? That's really-"

"Ian Brooks. I need to speak with you. The matter is most urgent."

"About what?"

"We need your help."

Ian scowled. He was wasting a perfectly good training day here, and that never out him in a good mood. Not that he walked around singing show tunes or anything anyways, but still…

"You already said that."

Chelani nodded, but seemed hesitant to continue.

"Maybe we can go somewhere else…" Weir suggested. "Someplace a little more private?"

The young Ancient nodded again.

"That would be helpful."

Sheppard turned, waved for the armed security force to stand down – now that they knew Ian really did know the guy who'd just popped in under their noses, literally – and then headed for the door, leading the way. Weir and Ian followed, with Chelani between them, and it only took a moment for McKay to hand over his P90 to one of the marines and hurry after the group. There was no way he was going to miss this, after all!


	4. 04

_Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long! Mom's in town visiting!_

OOOOOOOOOOO

They led Chelani to a small conference room and sat him down in a comfortable leather chair at one end of the table there. The rest of them sat around him, all waiting to hear what would bring an Ancient back to their abandoned city when the Humans had been there almost ten years and hadn't seen one in the entire time.

The Ancient didn't make them wait long.

"Ian Brooks, Jack O'Neill's dog has died."

Ian frowned.

_"Jaffer?"_

Not that Jack had ever owned _another_ dog, but Ian was so stunned by the news that he couldn't think of anything intelligent to ask.

"Yes. He collapsed several hours ago, and died a short time later."

The room was silent. Mainly because they all knew that it was Ian Chelani was there to talk to – and Ian was too shocked by what he'd heard to say anything else just then. He'd known Jaffer was getting old, but hadn't realized he was _that_ old. He added up the years and was astonished to come up with sixteen. Most labs lived to be about fourteen – his own beloved lab Bubba had been killed in a hunting accident at the age of nine – but while Jaffer had seemed to slow down a little in the last few years, Ian couldn't even imagine him dying.

And he couldn't imagine how Jack was handling the loss.

"Let me get this straight…" McKay said, interrupting before Ian could ask about Jack. "You came here to tell us about a _dog_?"

"Not just any dog," Chelani replied. "_Jaffer_."

Ian's look over at McKay was hardly complimentary, and Rodney gave him a look that plainly asked what he'd done this time.

"What about Jack?" Ian asked, before anyone could say anything else.

"Jack O'Neill is in grave danger," Chelani answered. "That is why I am here."

Now they all looked confused. All of them except Ian, who stood up.

"We need to talk. _Alone_."

Chelani nodded, standing as well.

"Yes."

Ian looked at the others pointedly, and Weir cleared her throat, clearly baffled.

"We'll… um…"

"Wait _outside_," Sheppard finished for her, standing up. "Come on Rodney."

McKay hadn't stood when the others did.

"_What_? Why do _we_ have to-"

"Come on."

Sheppard didn't even give him a chance to argue; he just took him by the arm and pulled him to his feet and out the door, which Weir closed as she walked out behind them.

"How much danger?" Ian asked as soon as they were gone.

"He'll be dead in a week."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You didn't have to come…"

Janet Bregman shrugged, but then nodded.

"Yes, I did."

Sam smiled sadly, grateful for the company –and the support. She knew that Janet hadn't left Colorado to help Jack. She'd left to support Sam – who was heartbroken at the thought of never seeing Jaffer again, but knew she had to be strong for Jack – who was probably going to handle things far worse. And according to Monica, he was handling things badly indeed.

Before she could say anything, though, the pilot's voice came over the intercom, informing her that they were about two hours out of DC.

Sam nodded, even though he couldn't see it, and sighed, leaning against the leather seat and closing her eyes. What an awful day.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They took him back to the White House. After a brief discussion between Daniel and the head of Jack's Secret Service detail, they simply decided it was the best place to go. Jack didn't say a word as they hustled him past a small number of media who were always on the watch for the president's dealings and knew Monica's practice was the last place he'd been seen and into the waiting car.

Daniel slammed the door behind them – ignoring one newswoman who stuck a microphone in his face and asked him what was going on.

"Let's go!"

He turned and watched his friend, who had turned in his seat as well, his eyes glued to the last place he'd been with Jaffer.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"A _week_?"

Chelani nodded.

"You're shitting me."

The young ancient didn't even know how to respond to that. Instead, he chose to give the best explanation that he could.

"When Alexander joined his soul to that of Jaffer's – and then bonded the lab and O'Neill, he made a connection that could not be broken. Not in life, at any rate."

"And when Jaffer died…?"

"It broke the bond."

"And _Alexander_?"

"Will die with Jack O'Neill and Jaffer."

Ian stared at him in disbelief for another long moment, and then – predictably – he exploded.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me! Why didn't they make Jaffer immortal or something? What were they thinking that-"

"They did what was necessary at the time, Ian," Chelani said. "It worked. Your world survived where so many before it had failed – and you saved me."

"And now Jack's _dying_!"

"It is unfortunate that-"

"_Unfortunate_?! Fuck you Chelani!"

"There is a chance…" Chelani said, stepping back from Ian's anger.

Ian scowled.

"What _kind_ of chance?"


	5. 05

_Author's Note: thanks for all the reviews, guys! Hopefully the story won't get much more confusing - we'll see what happens..._

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chelani hesitated, but Ian didn't give him much time to squirm.

"So what's the plan?" he asked, his arms folded over his chest and his expression clearly telling Chelani that it had better be a really good one.

"Another puppy has been born. Alexander had no choice but to bond with it or lose his connection to your world."

"_Another_ puppy?" Ian asked, incredulous. "You want to do it _again_?"

"There is no choice. If O'Neill doesn't bond to this puppy, he will be incomplete – and will certainly die."

"And I thought the _Asgard_ were short-sighted when it came to solving their problems…"

"What was done _had_ to be done, Ian," Chelani said, showing no sign of impatience. Indeed, he looked like he'd pretty much expected to have a confrontation. "In order for Jack O'Neill to have the-"

"Balance in his life to keep him from losing focus," Ian finished. "I know the story, Chelani. I heard it from Alexander ten years ago. What I don't understand is why you'd think it was a good idea to use another dog. What happens when _it dies_, too? We can't-"

"This one will live as long as O'Neill does, Ian," Chelani said. "You humans have a relatively short life span and-"

"Jack has more than seventeen years ahead of him," Ian interrupted.

"This dog will live as long as O'Neill does," Chelani repeated . "We will make certain of it."

"How?"

"We have our ways."

"Then why didn't you do that with Jaffer?"

"It was different with Jaffer. His was a far more dangerous existence – in a more dangerous time. His health was drained from countless injuries that this puppy will never have to face."

Ian scowled.

"You _think_."

Chelani shrugged.

"We are as certain of this as we can be of anything. It is always possible that O'Neill will be struck by a bus tomorrow…"

"_That's_ not funny."

"It was not intended to be."

Ian sighed, and leaned back in his chair a little.

"What do you need me for?"

It certainly seemed that the Ancients had pretty much set everything into motion on their own without asking for any input before this. For that matter, even long before Ian had known Jack they'd been meddling.

"We need you to get the puppy and take him to O'Neill."

"What makes you think Jack's going to want another puppy after losing Jaffer?"

The more Ian thought about it, the more certain he was that Jack wouldn't want anything to do with another dog – at least not right away. _He_ hadn't gotten another dog after Bubba had been killed. Hadn't even considered it.

"You will have to convince him," Chelani said. "Whatever you do, you must not tell him about the bond."

"Because…?"

"For the same reason you couldn't tell him about the bond to Jaffer. It would change the nature of their relationship and possibly do irreparable damage to all three of them."

Ian scowled.

"This is a bunch of bullshit, you know… It's not fair to Jack and-"

"It was _necessary_, Ian."

"Which doesn't make it _okay_."

"I know."

"But your buddies don't care, because they got what they wanted, right?"

"You got what you wanted as well," the Ancient reminded him. "And your world was spared the suffering that other realities faced."

Ian bit back a retort, knowing that nothing he said would make Chelani understand what he meant. Or maybe Chelani just didn't _want_ to understand. Or maybe, a little voice told him in the back of his mind, he was right and _Ian_ was the one who didn't want to admit it.

In the long run it didn't matter, Ian supposed. What mattered most just then was Jack, and if the Ancients said that Jack needed this bond, then Ian was willing to give it a shot. The alternative was completely unacceptable, after all.

"Where's the puppy?"

"In Colorado. With Shawn Adams."

Ian frowned.

"Shawn knows about this?"

"He only knows that his wife's dog Jasmine has whelped a litter of puppies. He doesn't know that one is intended as Jack's."

"Jasmine had puppies?"

When had Ian missed _that_ tidbit of information? And, of course, that made things a little different. Jasmine was Jaffer's own daughter – and that meant this puppy was Jaffer's grandson. Which might make the difference to Jack.

"A few weeks ago," Chelani confirmed. "We had no intention of actually needing the puppies, but we kept track of what was happening when we realized that Jaffer's health was failing so rapidly and a substitute might be required."

"How do I know which puppy it is?"

"You will know."

Now Chelani looked far more relaxed. Of course, Ian hadn't actually _agreed_ to go, but Chelani knew he wouldn't be asking the questions if he wasn't planning on doing something. Humans were fairly predictable at times – especially when the lives of their loved ones were at stake.

"Fine."

"So you will retrieve the puppy and take it to O'Neill?"

"I don't have any choice, do I?"

"No."

Ian scowled, but didn't say anything. He just stood up and headed for the door, not looking back at Chelani. Weir, Sheppard and McKay were out in the corridor waiting.

"Well?" McKay asked, looking over Brooks' shoulder to see if the Ancient was coming out also.

"I need to get back to Earth," Ian said to Weir and Sheppard – ignoring McKay.

Elizabeth nodded, not at all surprised.

"Is there anything we can do?"

Ian shook his head.

"I'll take care of it."

He'd been doing the dirty work for the Ancients this long, what was one more?

"Wait a minute," McKay said, frowning. "What about the Rekyana generator? We were supposed to work on it this-"

"It'll wait," Ian interrupted.

"What about _Cassie_?" Sheppard asked, with a slight smile – well aware that some things could be put off and some couldn't.

Ian frowned.

"She's offworld."

"She'll be back tomorrow," Weir reminded him – unnecessarily. "What do you want me to tell her?"

Ian hesitated, and decided he might need the support – or Jack might.

"Tell her what happened, and have her meet me in DC as soon as she can."

"I can't believe you're brushing off this generator to go to _Washington_," McKay complained. "You _know_ how important this thing is to the-"

"Shut up, McKay."

This time it was John Sheppard who spoke, but only because he'd beat Ian and Weir both to it.

Rodney huffed, but didn't say another word.

OOOOOOOOOO

Normally it would take a good forty-five minutes to get from the Airport to the White House. With a Secret Service car and driver – a driver who knew every back road and shortcut there was since it was her job to know them – Sam and Janet made the trip in less than half that time.

Sam was out of the car almost before it stopped, and the head of Jack's security team met her at the East entrance.

"Where is he?" she asked without preamble.

"Doctor Jackson took him into the study…"

Sam nodded, and headed down the long marble hallway and the Secret Service guys fell into step automatically around her.

"He's really upset, Ma'am," the leader said, softly.

Sam nodded, feeling a lump in her throat again at the loss of Jaffer – and in sympathy to the pain that Jack had to be going through.

"I know…"

She opened the door to the study – which was really more like a rec room since Jack had furnished it with a pool table and a large screened TV – and saw Jack sitting listlessly on the overstuffed sofa with Daniel lurking in the background obviously trying to give support and uncertain how to do it.

Daniel looked over when the door opened, but Jack didn't even look up.

She crossed the room quickly, giving Daniel a brief glance by ay of hello and apology, and sat down beside Jack, pulling him into her arms and holding him close. He melted into her arms, shaking with hurt and grief and sobs that threatened to tear him apart.

"He left me, Sam…"

Tears of her own were coursing down her cheeks, and she nodded silently, unable to speak through the lump in her throat. Instead she held him, rocking him gently and sharing his pain as well as she could.


	6. 06

It was well into the middle of the night on Earth when Ian gated back from Atlantis. Of course, the SGC was never deserted, so there was no problem with that – even without any prior notice that he was coming. As the Stargate disengaged behind him, he walked down the ramp and acknowledged the security forces that had been waiting – just to make sure he was really him and not an enemy.

"Colonel Brooks!"

When Nathan Brooks had retired from the SGC, the position of commanding officer had been offered to Colonel John Sheppard – along with a promotion to general. Sheppard had turned it down. He wasn't ready to leave Atlantis, and had told them that firmly but politely. So the job – and the promotion – had gone to a Marine named Alan Hunt. General Hunt was a fair minded individual who got along well with those members of his command – and most of the members of the Atlantis expedition. Including Ian Brooks.

Ian wasn't surprised to find Hunt at the SGC – even so late at night. The man never slept, and made it a point to spend as much time as possible with all the shifts that ran the place, learning as much as he could about every person under him. As a result, the place ran as smooth as it ever had, and that made for a more stable environment all around.

"General Hunt."

"What brings you here so late?" Hunt asked, offering Ian his hand.

"Personal business," Ian told him, shaking it. "Is Shawn around?"

Hunt shook his head.

"He's home. Want me to have him called in?"

"Nah. I'll go there and talk to him."

It had been a long shot, anyways. Especially this late.

"Anything I can do?"

"No. Thank you."

"I'll call the motor pool and have a car ready for you."

"Thanks."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Shawn and Gina Adams lived in a house that Ian knew very well. It had been a wedding present to them from Jack and Sam – and a real blessing since Shawn hadn't wanted to move into the house he'd grown up in once he'd graduated from the Academy. The house was almost exactly as it had been when Jack and Sam had lived there – complete with the white picket fence Jack had had built for Sam when she'd moved in. Ian felt a pang when he pulled up to the front of the house, fully expecting to see Jaffer come running out any minute, tail wagging cheerfully as he waited to see what Ian might have brought him.

Instead, the house was almost completely dark, with Shawn's Jeep in the driveway and Gina's car probably in the garage, and only a porch light to light the way as Ian got out of the borrowed car and let himself into the yard.

His arrival wasn't unnoticed, however. Almost as soon as the gate shut behind him, barking from inside the house made him smile. Not as deep as Jaffer's, but clearly telling whoever it was at the door that the people that lived in this house were protected by something large and possessive.

Ian rang the doorbell, seeing lights already coming on in the living room as he did so, and wasn't surprised to see Shawn open the door only a moment later wearing nothing but pajama bottoms and a scowl.

A scowl that faded when he realized who was at the door.

"Ian!"

Ian smiled, just as pleased to see Shawn – and the black lab that stuck her nose through the open door to sniff at the newcomer.

"Hey Adams."

"What are you doing here?"

"It's good to see you, too."

Shawn smiled, and opened the door wider, motioning for him to come in – which he did.

"It's good to see you. Everything okay?"

"Have you talked to Jack lately?"

Now the smile faded.

"No. Not for a couple of weeks…" He _was_ the _President_, after all, and hardly available – despite the fact that he'd told Shawn to call him if he ever needed anything. "Why?"

"Because Jaffer died."

"What? How do you know _that_?"

"I just do."

"Have you talked to Sam or Jack?"

Ian shook his head, walking over and sitting down on the sofa – and smiling when Jasmine came over and stuck her head in his hand for some attention. The black lab looked a lot like her daddy, and Ian felt another pang, even as he rubbed her ears affectionately.

"No."

"Then how did-"

"I can't tell you."

Shawn scowled again, but sat down on the sofa beside Ian.

"I can't even imagine how hard Jack's probably taking this…"

Ian nodded, but before he could say anything, Gina walked into the living room, smiling at Ian as she tied a robe on over her nightgown.

"Ian, what are you doing here?"

Jasmine rushed over to Gina as she walked across the room with a dancer's natural grace – despite having just been roused out of bed – and demanded attention that Gina absently gave her as she sat in the chair by the sofa.

"I need to talk to you guys," Ian told her.

"Jaffer's dead," Shawn said, almost at the same time.

Her hand reflexively tightened on Jasmine, who rumbled with joy at her touch.

"What? How?"

"Old age," Ian replied.

"When?"

"Today."

"Oh my God…" Gina had known Jaffer a long time, too – and had loved him almost as much as she loved Jasmine. "How's Jack doing?"

Ian shrugged.

"I haven't talked to him, yet."

"Then how did you know about-"

"He can't say," Shawn interrupted.

She looked a little confused, but she and Shawn were both aware of the fact that Ian knew things that they didn't – and probably would always be like that.

"Is there anything we can do?" she asked.

He gave her a wry smile.

"As a matter of fact, there _is_…"

"What?" Shawn asked, surprised.

"I need to see Jasmine's puppies."

"What?" It was really the last thing they'd expected to hear – and both of them immediately realized that Ian might have been thinking that maybe one of the puppies would be able to take Jack's mind off Jaffer's loss. But they both wondered how Ian had known about the puppies in the first place. Although you could easily tell by looking at Jasmine that she was nursing puppies there was no way he could have known before hand.

"Is that really a good idea, Ian?" Shawn asked, dubiously.

"It's Jack's only hope."

Which made them both even more curious, even though Shawn knew that he wasn't going to tell them anything he didn't want to. Or couldn't.

"They're in the utility room" Gina said, standing.

Ian and Shawn stood as well, and when Jasmine realized they were all heading for her brood, she bolted ahead of them, guarding the room with her tail wagging idly. Not that she didn't trust them, but her babies were in there and she was as protective as any momma was.

OOOOOOOOO

It was a very large basket – the biggest Ian had ever seen – and padded with a soft comforter that had probably been on Shawn and Gina's bed at one point in its lifetime. With Jasmine watching closely, Ian leaned over and looked into the basket, wondering how the hell he was supposed to pick the right puppy for Jack.

And realized at first glance that Chelani had been right. There was no doubt which one it was. Huddled in a mass of tan bodies was one slightly larger black one, soundly sleeping with his head tucked on one of his sister's flanks.

"He's perfect…" Ian whispered, softly, amazed despite his cynicism.

"Which one?" Shawn asked, although he suspected he knew.

Sure enough, Ian reached in and carefully pulled out the black puppy, waking it in the process and looking him over carefully.

"This one."


	7. 07

_Author's Note: Shawn knows that Ian knows he's Ancient. He also knows about Ian's download from the Ancients – and almost definitely suspects that Ian's in contact with the Ancients somehow. Although he wouldn't ask, since he'd know Ian wouldn't tell him._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"What are you thinking, Ian?" Gina asked, curiously, watching as Ian held the puppy at arm's length and stared at him. "Jack's _not_ going to want another dog – not even one of Jaffer's. Not so soon."

Ian ignored her completely, his focus entirely on the puppy. He was fuzzy, and small, and his brown eyes were watching him as intently as Ian was watching it. There was a recognition in them, somehow, that Ian couldn't help but respond to with a slight smile.

"You're _perfect_, little man…"

The puppy whined, softly, prompting his mother to come over and whuffle him – and then Ian, to reassure herself that he wasn't hurting her baby. Shawn rubbed her ears lightly, diverting her attention, and returned to the conversation they were having – or trying to have.

"Are you planning on going to Washington?"

Ian nodded, putting the puppy back into the basket.

"Does he have a name?"

"No."

"Jack _won't_ want him," Gina repeated.

"Yes, he will," Ian replied, standing up. "He doesn't have a choice."

"What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?" Shawn asked, looking a lot like Jack with the sudden scowl on his face.

Ian scowled, too, and then sighed.

"Listen. Jaffer was special to Jack. _Really_ special. That puppy's going to keep him from going insane…"

"He's just a _puppy_, Ian," Gina objected. "And I _don't_ think Jack will-"

"He will."

"He's not even old enough to leave his mother…" Shawn said. "Andrew said they'd have to be at _least_ six weeks old and these guys are only about three and a half. He'll _die_."

"I'll take care of him."

Gina frowned, and crossed her arms over her chest. She knew all about Ian's abilities – they'd saved Shawn once or twice – that she knew of. She didn't doubt that he could take care of the puppy, but she didn't like the thought of him trying to make Jack accept a puppy so shortly after losing his own beloved dog. And she was pretty sure that Ian wouldn't be able to convince Jack to take him. It would get messy quickly – especially as strong-willed as both of them were.

"Maybe you should think this through a little while…"

"I'm catching a flight to DC in _two hours_," Ian told her, allowing a fair amount of sarcasm through – which was a lot better than him blowing up at her. "Believe me, I've thought this through."

Given the fact that he still hated to fly more than he hated anything else in the world, and Gina and Shawn both knew that, it brought them up short. Ian scowled their twin looks of disbelief and took a step back.

"So?"

The two looked at each other, and Gina shrugged.

"You have to bring him back if Jack won't take him…"

"He will."

"But if he doesn't, you have to bring-"

_"Fine."_

"And you have to take care of him."

"I will."

"I mean it."

"I _will_."

_Jesus_.

"I'll get you something to carry him in," Shawn said, leaving the room.

Gina stayed, still watching Ian intently – although her expression had changed now.

"What?"

He liked her well enough, but he wasn't going to put up with that for long. Not even for a puppy.

"I need a favor – since you're here."

"What kind of favor?"

"Nothing big… I just need you to check something for me."

"What?"

She looked the way Shawn had gone, and then stepped closer, and whispered in his ear. Ian's scowl faded immediately as he pulled away almost instinctively.

"Are you sure?"

"No. Which is why I want _you_ to check. I'll even make you something to eat on your way to Washington."

Now his scowl returned, although he reached out and touched her wrist.

"Trust me, the last thing I need before a flight is something to eat."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The rumble around him seemed to permeate throughout his entire being, sending vibrations into his very bones. Vibrations that hid his slight trembling nicely. His hands tightened on the armrest of his chair, and he felt the rumbling grow more intense.

A soft whine drew his attention and he opened his jacket just a little, looking down at the little black form that was huddled against his side. The puppy looked up at him mournfully, and Ian couldn't help but cuddle him closer. He felt just as miserable.

"It won't be long, big guy."

He felt his stomach lurch as the plane took off, and the puppy's whine turned into a howl.

"He doesn't like to fly any more than you do, huh?"

Shawn's amused smile did nothing to make Ian feel less green, and he didn't reply – refused to even open his mouth. Just in case. Instead, he cuddled the puppy closer, soothing it with a gentle touch, and Shawn didn't miss the fact that one finger was extended in his direction, which only made his grin broaden.

Some things never changed.


	8. 08

_Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews I've received and keep them coming, please! If any of you are still confused after the next couple of chapters, give me a yell and I'll see if I can't explain whatever it is you're confused about – as long as you're not asking about what happened to any particular character in the future. I'll try to make sure we see everyone – and note that some of them now have young ones they didn't have before._

OOOOOOOOOOOO

In Washington DC news travels fast. _Bad_ news travels even faster. When the bad news is somehow associated with the President of the United States or the family of the President, the news spreads like wildfire. It was early evening when the first reporters started getting wind that something was up, and by dark there were cameras and crew everywhere they could congregate, held back only by the security that wouldn't allow them access to the President or his family at any time – and especially now.

None of them knew exactly what was going on, of course. The Secret Service guarded Jack's privacy obsessively, refusing to let anyone but their own anywhere near the family part of the residence. They _also_ refused to allow the staff in, knowing that some of them – despite confidentiality clauses in their contracts – were the biggest gossips in DC.

Everyone knew that it had been reported the president was at the vet with his dog, and there was no confirmation that the black lab who shadowed O'Neill everywhere he went had returned to the White House with him when he'd come back hours later. It was assumed that something was going on with Jaffer, but Monica Ray had refused to answer any calls from the media – or anyone else that she didn't know for that matter – and the press was almost completely in the dark.

Which didn't stop them from making their own guesses, of course.

The stories that popped up throughout the night ranged from fairly accurate guesses to some so far off the wall that Jack would have gotten a chuckle out of them if he'd been in any condition to be amused just then.

He _wasn't_ though. Walled off from the public by the Secret Service, he mourned in Sam's arms. She held him tightly, rocking him as though he were a small child as he sobbed into her shoulder until he finally fell into a sort of exhausted slumber several hours later.

Daniel, who had been quietly sitting in the room, watching the heartrending scene spoke softly once he was certain Jack was asleep.

"I can't believe he's gone, Sam…"

She nodded, feeling her own tears sting her eyes once more. God, she was going to miss him. Almost as much as Jack was.

"I can't either, Daniel…" she sniffed, and stroked Jack's head gently when he started to stir, trying to keep him asleep – if only to be able to dampen the ache he was feeling for a little while longer. "I can't even imagine not having him around…"

"Yeah."

They'd had him for so long, it just had seemed they'd have him forever – even though they'd all noticed he was starting to slow down a little in the past few months, especially.

"Where are Jake and Nia?"

Daniel didn't have a clue, but the head Secret Service agent had overheard the question and answered it softly. He, of course, knew where every one of his charges were – including the youngest and most vulnerable.

"_Mrs_. Jackson has them," he replied, softly. "They're playing in Jacob's room right now."

The earplug he was wearing kept him in contact with everyone – and they were keeping him up to date on each movement.

"They don't know…? Sam asked, looking at Daniel.

He shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"We didn't tell them," the agent confirmed.

That wasn't something he'd ever want to have to do.

"I should go…" Sam said, faltering. "They need to hear it from me before they hear it-"

"_I'll_ go, Sam," Daniel told her, touching her shoulder, gently. "You stay here with Jack. He needs you right now."

It was really spooky to Daniel just how obvious it was that Jack _did_ need Sam just then. He was torn up and seemed to be drifting.

"You're sure?"

She was torn herself – between the needs of her children and the needs of her husband – but Daniel nodded.

"Yes."

"Make sure they understand that he didn't hurt, Daniel…"

He nodded again.

"I will."

"And tell them I love them."

"I will."

Before she could change her mind, Daniel left the room, heading unerringly for Jacob's bedroom – which was just down the hall from Jack and Sam's. Daniel knew the White House far better than he'd ever have believed possible.

OOOOOOOOOO

The bedroom was guarded by two agents. Both of them were assigned to the children – who each had their own details. Luckily, they both knew Daniel very well, and nodded to let him silently know that he could go on in. Daniel opened the door and was immediately struck by a pillow – which knocked his glasses off.

"Daniel!"

Jacob O'Neill rushed over and picked up the glasses, handing them up to Daniel with a huge grin on his tanned little face. He looked so much like Jack that Daniel couldn't help but wonder if this was what Jack looked like when he was the same age – and he couldn't help but echo the infectious smile.

"Hi, Buddy."

"Sorry about the pillow…"

Daniel scooped him up, hugging him close and well aware that in a couple of years Jake wasn't going to want to be held at all. He looked over and saw Sally sitting on the edge of Jake's bed, holding a pillow as well and an impish smile on her face – which faded just a little before she managed to secure it once more when Jake followed Daniel's gaze and looked over at her as well.

"It's okay. Tell me you weren't going to hit one of the Secret Service guys…"

The boy laughed, and squirmed to get down.

"I wasn't. I was aiming at _Nia_."

The little girl in question had been hiding behind Jake's dresser, and peeked out and Daniel with her own guilty smile. She was holding a pillow as well, so it was obvious that she wasn't an unwilling victim.

"Hi Uncle Daniel."

"Hey, baby girl." He frowned and looked around with mock confusion. "Aren't we missing one?"

There was a soft giggle, faintly heard from under Jake's bed, and Daniel made a show of tiptoeing over and leaning down to look under it. A pair of blue eyes looked back at him, twinkling with happiness and mischief.

"_There_ she is!" Daniel reached down and took hold of his daughter's hands, pulling her easily out from under the bed and tickling her as he pulled her into his arms. She giggled merrily, and he smiled, the pain from the entire evening briefly forgotten in the pleasure of being with the kids.

"Can I spend the night, Daddy?" Marissa Jackson asked, looking hopefully between her mother and her father.

Since it was already well past all of their bedtimes, it wasn't a hard decision for Daniel to make – and he knew Sally would agree.

"I think we can arrange that."

The six year old squealed happily, clapping her hands as Daniel let her down onto the floor. Nia O'Neill came running up to her and hugged her excitedly while Jacob groaned in annoyance. He was older, after all, and it was his job to be annoyed by his little sister and her friends.

Before they could get too excited, however, Daniel sat down on Jake's bed, suddenly serious. He hadn't forgotten what he was doing there, after all – no matter how much he wanted to.

"Listen guys…" he told him, taking Sally's hand for comfort. "We need to talk…"


	9. 09

There is nothing as sad as the sounds and sight of a child in distress. Especially when you were the one who caused the distress in the first place. Daniel had broken the news to the three children as gently as he knew how – and he'd been very gentle indeed – but the news was awful and the children far too young, really, to appreciate that effort.

Nia had dissolved into tears immediately, as had their Marissa. Both girls were being comforted by Sally, who was crying as well – although it was more from seeing them so upset. Jake had tried. His bottom lip had quivered and his eyes had filled with unshed tears when he asked Daniel if Jaffer had hurt, and Daniel had shaken his head and carefully told him no.

"He didn't hurt at all, Jake. Monica made sure of it."

That was as far as he'd made it, though, because the boy had flung his arms around his neck and had broken down into sobs as heartrending as Jack's had been. Daniel held him closely, rocking him and crooning to him comfortingly, but there wasn't anything he could say just then to make it hurt less. And none of the children would have heard him anyways.

OOOOOOOOO

"You know… you're a _genius_. A Medal of Honor winner and probably one of the best known people in the country…"

Ian scowled, figuring out immediately where Shawn was going with the current statement.

"…it's utterly insane that you fall apart so completely on something as commonplace as an _airplane_…"

"Shut up, Adams…" Ian replied, barely relaxing jaws that had been clenched for the past couple of hours.

"I just don't get it…"

Of course, Shawn was more amused than mystified. Ian was a fairly self possessed person, who didn't rely on anyone and very seldom showed more than the sarcastic, easily annoyed and irreverent façade to the people around him, and it was almost fun to see him lose his composure so easily when you put him near a plane. He varied from shades of gray to green and then to pale and back to gray the entire time, and rarely opened his mouth – even to cuss someone out – and this flight had been no exception.

"We'll be landing in about twenty minutes," the stewardess said, walking down the aisle of the small plane. "The captain is going to arrange for ground transportation, since it's so late."

Shawn gave her a polite smile.

"Thank you."

She nodded and looked down at the puppy who had fallen asleep cradled against Ian's side.

"He's adorable."

Shawn's smile went from polite to far more genuine.

"Well, we _try_ to keep him clean and in good shape, but as he's gotten older, we've had trouble keeping him away from the sweets and the extra helpings of-"

"She means the _puppy_, dipshit," Ian drawled, knowing full well that Shawn was well aware who the woman had been referring to and was just taking the opportunity to get a bit of digging in where he could. Ian didn't mind at all; he would have done the same thing if the tables were turned – although he definitely didn't feel like verbal sparring just then.

The stewardess laughed at the exchange – and Shawn's expression was positively gloating.

"The seatbelt sign is lit," she told them, getting back to business. "I'll come by and check on you again right before we land."

"Thanks."

OOOOOOOOOO

A long, black car was waiting on the tarmac when the plane came to a stop just outside of a small private hangar at an equally small and private airport just outside of Annapolis, Maryland. Beside the car were two serious looking young men, both sharply dressed and looking exactly like one would imagine a bodyguard would look. Which was fine, since that was exactly what they were.

Shawn smiled, surprised, when he saw the car, and watched through the window on the plane as one of the young men opened the back door to say something to the occupant of the car, and the other walked over to the plane, his hand close to the weapon that Shawn knew was in a shoulder holster under his jacket.

Even in the dark, there was no hiding the very professional way the young man checked out the entire plane before he stepped aside to allow a ground crew member to push a stairwell over to the door. A moment later, the stewardess opened the door, and the bodyguard walked unerringly over to Shawn and Ian.

"Colonel Brooks, Colonel Adams… the Vice President is waiting for you outside, sirs."

Ian frowned.

"How did he know we were coming?"

"_Mrs_. Adams called and gave a headsup. We happened to be in the neighborhood and thought we'd swing by and see if you needed a ride."

Brooks snorted, amused despite just how queasy he felt, and unbuckled his seatbelt – which had remained firmly fastened the entire flight and landing.

Not surprisingly, the bodyguard noticed the puppy immediately.

"Do you want me to take it, sir?"

"_Him_," Ian corrected, tucking the puppy back under his jacket and making sure it was securely fastened at the bottom so he wouldn't slip out and fall. "And no, I've got him."

"Where's the President?" Shawn asked as they grabbed what little luggage they'd brought with them and headed for the exit.

"At the White House."

"You know what's happened?"

The Secret Service usually did, but Shawn wasn't about to tell them anything they didn't already know until he was sure Jack was ready for them to be informed.

The agent nodded.

"We're not telling anyone, though. Not until POTUS clears it. The press is going crazy."

Ian scowled.

"Good."

He never really liked the press anyways.

"Our thoughts exactly, sir," the agent agreed. "We'll let them make up their own stories for now. Right this way."

He unnecessarily guided them to the car, where the other agent watched them both carefully – even though he was very familiar with both of them. The back door was open, and the Vice President of the United States was sitting there, waiting for them.

"I can't believe you didn't just beam yourself over or something…"

Ian shrugged.

"I keep telling myself I'm going to set a transporter beam or something up one of these days, but I never get around to it. What are you doing here?"

The Vice President smiled.

"Your mother says you're supposed to come home."


	10. 10

_Author's note: Thanks for the reviews and questions. While I can't answer all of them, I will say that this story is about ten years into the future from the last Camper's story – and about two years beyond the future that I envisioned at the end of Scion. And I'm glad to see that so many of you approve of my choice of VP. Some of the descriptions for this upcoming chapter were snagged from the White house site – just to give the credit where it's due._

OOOOOOOOO

They fell asleep that way. Sam holding Jack, who dozed restlessly in her arms, and the Secret Service guarding their privacy intently. One agent brought blankets and pillows, which Sam accepted with a tired smile of thanks, and she covered Jack, who moaned softly in his sleep – a sound that seemed filled with physical pain as well as emotional. She cuddled him closer, stroking his cheek with her free hand and resting his head against her shoulder to be as close to him as possible.

They'd have to deal with things eventually, she knew that. The job of President was far too public for much time alone with this, but Sam – and the Secret Service – were determined to give him as much time as possible to pull himself together and get over the shock of his loss. The press and the American people could give them a night. They owed them that much at least. Whether they remembered it or not.

OOOOOOOOO

The white 19th Century house overlooking Massachusetts Avenue in Washington D.C. was built in 1893 for the superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory. The house was so lovely that the chief of naval operations booted the superintendent and made the house his home in 1923. The house was "taken over" again in 1974 when Congress turned "Number One Observatory Circle" into the official residence of the Vice President.

It was easier to secure this house than try to secure the private residence of each new Vice President that came into office – especially since very few of them were actually _from_ the D.C. area – so when Jack O'Neill won his bid for President after Hammond retired, his very reluctant but wildly popular Vice President elect was obligated to relocate. Much to the annoyance of his wife – who was very happy in their old house – although she hid it well and played gracious hostess whenever there was a dignitary in town that Nathan was willing to have in his home.

Annoyed or not, there was a definite smile on the face of the Vice President's wife when she walked out to meet the car that pulled up to the rear of the house – in a private driveway that was used to allow as much privacy as possible at those times when the V.P. and his family required or desired it.

_"Ian!"_

Despite the sad circumstances, there was no way Maggie Brooks could hold back her pleasure at seeing her son – who visited far too little as far as she was concerned.

The first to exit the car – after a Secret Service agent – Ian returned her smile, and the hug she gave him as soon as she got near enough. A high-pitched whine caused her to pull back almost immediately and examine her son closely.

Concerned, Ian pulled the puppy out of his jacket, and Maggie smiled.

"Oh, he's as _gorgeous_ as Gina said he was," she said, taking him from her son without so much as a "May I".

The puppy whined again, but Maggie cuddled him close, and looked back at Ian as Shawn and Nathan got out of the car.

"Are you sue this is a good idea?" she asked, obviously worried. "Jack's pretty hurt by this loss and I'm not sure that a replacement puppy is really-"

"I'm sure."

Actually, he _wasn't_. But he had it on very good authority that there was absolutely no choice in the matter.

"Are you going to leave them out here in the cold night, or are you going to invite them in?" Nate asked, walking over and taking a look at the puppy as well.

Maggie smiled, and handed her husband the puppy. She turned to Shawn and gave him a hug.

"It's good to see you, Shawn."

Shawn returned the hug, amazed as always that a woman as small as Maggie Brooks was so strong.

"You, too, Maggie."

"Put their things in the basement," Nathan told the valet who came out to see if there was anything he could do to help. "Put the puppy in the room next to ours."

The valet smiled, well accustomed to the senior Brooks' sense of humor.

"Yes, sir."

Ian reached out and took the puppy back from his father before the valet could take him.

"I'll keep him with me," he said, tucking him into his jacket once more.

Shawn frowned at the possessiveness – which wasn't really one of Ian's normal traits.

"Is he okay?"

Ian nodded.

"He's fine, Adams. I just need to keep him close."

Maggie frowned as well, her maternal instincts hearing something in her son's voice and inflection that Shawn didn't. But she didn't say anything, knowing that if Ian wasn't ready to talk about it, he wasn't going to.

"Let's go inside," she said, instead. "We're going to put you two in the first two rooms at the top of the stairs."

"I should go see Jack," Shawn said, turning the direction of the White House – which they couldn't see from where they were. "He probably needs-"

"Sam's with him," Maggie said, interrupting and proving that what the Secret Service knew she knew. "He needs her more than anything else right now."

"Where are Nia and Jake?" Shawn asked, knowing she'd have that answer as well.

"With Daniel and Sally."

"Daniel's here?" Ian asked, walking beside his mother as they entered the house. It was beautifully decorated with many of the furnishings from their own home in New Jersey, and Ian couldn't help but feel comfortable there.

"He's been giving lectures at the Smithsonian all week," Maggie explained. "Sally's here, too, taking a working vacation."

Ian nodded.

"Then we'll wait and see them tomorrow…"

"You and the rest of the world," Nathan said, darkly. "As soon as word gets out what happened, the place is going to go crazy…"

Jaffer was a very popular fixture at the White House, after all, and there would definitely be a public outpour from this. The press would be all over each other with their intrusive questions and desperation to each be the one to break the story first.

"The Secret Service will keep them away…" Shawn said, looking over at the lead agent of Nathan's own detail.

The woman nodded, her expression serious but proud.

"You'd better believe it, Colonel."

Maggie looked at the boys – who weren't really boys anymore but would always be ten to her.

"Are you hungry?"

Ian felt green just thinking about eating, and Shawn looked exhausted as the long day he'd had caught up to him now that he was standing still long enough to feel it.

"I'm just tired," he told her.

Maggie looked at Ian, who shook his head.

"That'd be a very bad idea…"

Sleep was what he wanted just then, too. Luckily, Maggie could read him well, and shooed both of them to the stairs.

"Off with you, then. Breakfast is at eight."

By then she knew they'd both be starved, so she made a note to remind the morning staff to make extra for their morning meal to accommodate the new arrivals.

Ian kissed her, just as pleased to be with her as she was to have him.

"I'll see you in the morning."


	11. 11

The next morning dawned gray and chilly. The sun was hidden behind gray clouds that hung low enough they were almost fog, but high enough that there was a limited visibility for those who made the daily commutes from the suburbs of D.C. into the city.

Lt. Colonel Shawn Adams woke in a strange bed, alone. For the briefest of moments, he wondered where he was, but he was military trained and quick-witted and soon remembered what had brought him to D.C. and what he faced that day. He had to see Jack and see what he could do to help him, and he needed to see Sam and his little brother and sister and see if there was anything he could do for them as well. After all, they'd all known Jaffer for a long time – the kids had known him all their lives. Shawn knew _he'd_ miss Jaffer, but probably not as much as Jake and Nia who had grown up with him nearby.

He groaned and dragged himself out of the very comfortable bed in the well-decorated room that Maggie had put him in. It was frilly and filled with the obvious touch of a woman, but Ian had snagged the other bedroom before Shawn could even choose – no doubt he'd been in them before and knew there was a difference. But the bed had been comfortable, and the curtains were wide open, now, giving him a view of a park below the house.

And a small army of reporters and news vans.

"What the _hell_?"

OOOOOOOOO

The house had a formal dining room. In fact, it had two of them – one for small parties and one for larger ones. Maggie Brooks and her husband never used them for the meals they took in private, instead preferring to eat in a small nook off to the side of the large kitchen. It was cozy and quaint, and far more convenient for the staff who served them. This was where Shawn found them after about half an hour of searching.

Maggie smiled when he walked in, and gestured for him to join them.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Fine thanks." He sat down across from them. "Did _you_ know that there are news crews outside?"

Dumb question, really. He was certain the Secret Service guys knew – and they'd have told Nate and Maggie. Instead of pointing that out, however, Nate just scowled and nodded.

"Yeah. They're being blocked at the White House, so they figure we must know something here… especially since there's a report that someone – that'd be _you guys_ – arrived here in the middle of the night."

"How'd they find _that_ out?"

Nate shrugged.

"Someone probably saw the car leave and return. That's the problem with being in the public's eye so much. No privacy."

"Have they tried to-"

"Morning."

Shawn and the Brooks' looked over at the greeting and saw Ian had arrived in the kitchen as well.

Shawn scowled. Ian looked as if he'd had about twenty hours of sleep and had clearly taken the time to shower, shave and change into a fresh uniform – the type of uniform that the Atlantean expedition members wore in comparison to the kind that Shawn himself usually wore at the SGC. Tucked up against his side was the little black puppy, wide awake and clearly interested in what was going on around him. Evidentally, both had recovered nicely from the airplane ride.

Maggie smiled, waved her son into the chair beside Shawn and asked how he slept.

"Like a log."

"Hungry?"

"Very."

He sat down and rearranged the puppy so it was on his lap and Shawn frowned.

"Shouldn't we get him something to eat?"

Ian shook his head.

"He's fine."

He _looked_ fine, too, which made Shawn even more suspicious. He reached over and plucked the puppy from Ian's lap and examined him closely.

"He's gained weight…"

Ian shrugged noncommittally.

"Maybe."

"What did you-"

"There are news crews all over the place," Nathan said, interrupting. "How do you want to do this?"

"As low key as possible," Ian told him, avoiding Shawn's steady gaze. "The last thing I want is to be swarmed."

Which was a very real possibility. Even ten years later, the press was fascinated with Ian - especially since he made himself scarce as often as possible - and declined all requests for interviews, even after Nate had been elected into office with Jack.

"Have we heard from Sam or Jack today?" Shawn asked, still running his hands along the puppy's fat sides, but looking at Ian's folks.

"Not yet. I'm not even sure they know you're here…"

He looked over at the Secret Service agent who was standing at the breakfast bar, reading a paper and trying to give them all the privacy he could while still watching them. The man shook his head at the obvious question.

"Broadsword and Brilliant are still asleep, sir," he said, using the code names the Secret Service designated to Jack and Sam the moment they'd come under their protection. Jake and Nia were similarly named – as were Nathan and Maggie – and probably Ian and Shawn, even though they never asked and had never been told. "We decided to let them sleep in."

"And the kids?"

"Still with the Jacksons. They're having breakfast."

"They're at the White House?" Ian asked.

"Yes, sir."

Ian nodded.

"Then that's where we need to go."

"_After_ breakfast," Maggie told him, firmly.

He didn't even argue. It would have done him any good.

OOOOOOOOOO

It was Jack who woke Sam, pulling himself upright in her arms before he realized where he was and that he didn't want to wake her. She opened her eyes immediately, though, and looked at him, worried. He looked tired, gray and lost, and she felt her stomach clench at the sight.

He must have noticed, because he pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

"It's okay…"

His voice was hoarse and ragged, and she held him tightly, her eyes burning with more unshed tears. It clearly _wasn't_ okay. He looked worse than before, and she had a sudden premonition that this wasn't going to get better. Something in him had died with Jaffer, and she could see it in his eyes. Whether he knew it was there or not.

And worse; Sam didn't have a clue how to make it better – or even any idea who to ask about it.


	12. 12

He tried to pull himself together. Sam was worried about him, and he knew it – even though she tried to hide it behind her encouraging smiles. The last thing he wanted was to worry her. He'd done that so much in the past, and had thought that once they'd retired from the SGC she wouldn't need to any more.

Even when Hammond had asked him to run as his vice president he'd made the decision with Sam in mind – had asked her specifically what she wanted, in order to keep her from being stressed. And when Hammond had decided he wanted to avoid the second term in favor of retiring into a life of relative obscurity, Jack hadn't planned to run for President – to keep her from worrying. It had been _Sam_ who had really decided the matter; reminding him that the best way to make sure that the SGC – and Shawn – were protected was for Jack to remain in a position of authority instead of retiring as well.

Then with the addition of Nathan Brooks – who wasn't quite as famous as Jack and Hammond, but had the backing of his son who _was_, and a wife who was well known and loved even overseas, and had more political clout than any non-politician who ever walked through D.C. – and the SGC and Atlantis expedition found themselves standing on ground as solid as the mountains that surrounded Cheyenne Mountain. And Sam didn't have to worry.

He pulled himself out of her arms with reluctance and without a glance at the Secret Service agents, he headed for his rooms, feeling an ache in the very center of him when he realized that he'd walked this hall a million times with Jaffer right beside him. And they'd never walk it together again.

There were tears in his eyes when he undressed and went into the shower. Tears that were washed away by the spray of hot water but replaced almost immediately.

The last years had been great. Shawn was doing good – and married! Jake was growing like a weed, and Nia was the daughter Jack had always wanted. Even the country seemed to be getting its act together, with the exception of the usual corrupt politicians and scoundrels that would always be in D.C.

And now he felt everything crumbling around him from the inside out. He didn't understand it, and couldn't focus enough to even attempt to figure it out, but there was an ache in him that he couldn't explain and couldn't ignore. It was like a toothache, only so much worse, and growing all the time.

"Jack?"

She'd followed him, of course. He hadn't considered it – although if he'd been thinking straight he'd have realized there was no way that she would leave him alone just then.

"Yeah…"

His voice cracked and even in the shower his throat felt dry and raspy, and Sam noticed right away, of course. She opened the shower door and pulled his towel off the rack at the same moment, then wrapped him up and took him in her arms again, supporting him as he shuddered.

"What do we do?" she asked, softly, stroking his drenched hair as the water continued to spray both of them.

He shook his head. He didn't have a clue, and couldn't focus enough to even consider it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

They were swarmed immediately, of course. Only the Secret Service kept the reporters from literally mobbing them, pushing people back when they came too close, and throwing menacing looks at cameramen who stuck their equipment too close for comfort. The trip from the front porch to the car seemed to take forever as they ignored the questions that were being thrown at them.

_"What's going on, Colonel Brooks? Is it true there's another alien invasion on-"_

_"Colonel Adams! Is it true your father called you back from active duty to take control of the-"_

_"Is it the_ Wraith_, Colonel Brooks? How is the war going with-"_

_"Vice President Brooks? Have you been briefed by the President? What's-"_

_"Why did you come to Washington, Colonel? What's-"_

_"How many-"_

_"Is it true that-"_

_"Is it true that Jaffer-"_

_"What does the White House-"_

_"What are you hiding, sir, that you don't-"_

_"What time will you-"_

"God I hate the fucking press…"

Nathan Brooks sighed as the door to the limo closed on the last of the reporter's microphones, and he looked over at Ian and Shawn, who weren't looking any more pleased than he'd been.

"_You_ should be used to them by now," Ian said, checking on the puppy who had once more been tucked against his side.

"Are you used to the _Wraith_?"

"That's not quite the same thing, dad…"

Nate scowled.

"Bullshit."

But he didn't say anything else about the reporters, who were undoubtedly all rushing to their vans to follow the small motorcade – and would easily deduce that they were heading to the White House. Luckily, they could avoid the reporters there by using the more heavily guarded entrance. Which would make people aware of their presence in D.C. – although it was obvious they already were, so it didn't matter any more.

"Who did you want to see first?" the head of Nate's detail asked Ian. "The kids or Brilliant?"

Meaning that Jack was off limits even to Ian just then.

"What's Sam doing?"

"She's with Broadsword."

"Are they still sleeping?"

"No."

Ian frowned and looked at Shawn.

"What do you think?"

"I say we leave Sam with Jack for now and see how Jake and Nia are doing."

If Sam was focused on Jack, his little brother and sister might need more support than Daniel and Sally could provide and Shawn wanted to see how they were doing.

Ian nodded, looking at the guard, who nodded as well and murmured something into a communicator he was wearing. A moment later he looked at them.

"We'll head for the playroom, if that's all right?"

Nate nodded for all of them.

"That's fine."

He wasn't going to stick around, anyways. He needed to check on Jack, and get the day going – especially if Jack couldn't.


	13. 13

The room was far too quiet to be the official playroom of two youngsters and the surrogate playroom of another. There were doll houses, and dolls, stuffed animals, board games, blocks, trucks, books of every sort and type, a TV, a DVD player with every kid's movie available, and even a piano – which was the bane of Jake and Nia O'Neill's existence, since their mother insisted each of them take lessons.

At the moment, however, none of those items were in use. The dolls weren't being played with, the TV was off, and the blocks were tucked neatly in their container waiting to be noticed. Daniel Jackson sat on a large beanbag chair, holding his only child, who was in turn holding a book of children's rhymes that she'd been working her way through for the past hour. Jake and Nia were sitting on the overstuffed sofa with Sally, who had one on either side of her, cuddling them close.

Neither was crying; they'd cried themselves out the night before. But they were silent and saddened, and both had asked about their mom and dad – only to be told that they were going to be there as soon as they could. Since both children were used to the hectic schedules of their parents, it wasn't unusual, and neither minded the substitution of Sally and Daniel – who were frequent visitors to the White House and the playroom.

Marissa Jackson was just trying to explain to her father the reason the dish ran away with the spoon when the door opened, startling everyone in the room. Moments later two very familiar figures walked in, and Jake threw himself off the couch towards them.

_"Ian!"_

Shawn snatched the puppy from Ian just in time, because Ian suddenly had his hands filled with both Jake and Nia as the two of them ran to him, beaming with happiness at the sudden appearance of one of their favorite people in the world. Ian held them both tightly, all reservations long gone with these two, and the happiness turned to mourning as they found themselves cuddled by someone who would surely miss their lost playmate as much as they would.

"Hey guys, how are you doing?"

Nia pulled back, first, and her brown eyes were wet.

"Jaffer died."

Ian nodded, his own dark eyes telling them how sad he was by the news. He hadn't had a lot of time to think of it, but he was going to miss Jaffer, too. More than anyone else, maybe – except Jack, of course. Jaffer had taught Ian about unconditional love. A lesson his mother had tried to instill in him, but one that he'd taken a long time to learn. He owed that dog everything, really. Which was why he was here, of course.

"I know, baby."

She sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"I _miss_ him."

Ian nodded.

"I know. I do, too."

"_Dad's_ going to miss him most, though…" Jake said, softly. "Uncle Daniel says that Dad's really, _really_ sad…"

"And mommy's with him," Nia added.

Ian nodded again.

"She'll help him feel better."

Jake's eyes were serious – and he looked a lot like Jack – and Shawn.

"What if she can't?"

Ian sighed, and knelt down between the two of them.

"Who am I?" he asked Jacob.

"Our Godfather."

"Right." He turned to Nia. "And what's my job?"

"To fix things when Daddy can't."

"Or when _Mom_ can't," Jake added.

"Right."

"You can't fix _this_, though," Jake said. "Jaffer won't come back…"

He was _twelve_, after all, and knew that when someone or something died, they didn't come back to life magically. Not like the fish that used to live in his aquarium did when he was Nia's age.

Ian nodded, and turned to Shawn, reaching a hand out. The younger colonel knew immediately what he was asking for, and handed the puppy over. Nia squealed.

"A _puppy_!"

She reached for him automatically, but Ian pulled him back against his side.

"Shhh, baby. Don't scare him."

Her sorrowful eyes were suddenly sparkling.

"Did you bring him for Daddy?"

Ian nodded.

"He's the right color…" Jake said, looking uncertain. "But Dad won't _want_ him, will he?"

"We're going to find out," Ian told him.

"What's his name?" Marissa asked, craning her head to see the puppy, too.

"He doesn't have one, yet."

"He's still really young," Shawn added, drawing the children's attention finally. He wasn't at all upset that Jake and Nia had gone running to Ian. Jake and Ian shared a bond that no one could understand – including Jack and Sam – and Nia followed her brother's lead in everything. They had several 'uncles' and 'aunts' and Shawn was always going to be their much older brother who was already off on his own, but Ian was their Godfather, and special. "Too young to have a name."

"I had _my_ name the day I was born," Nia reminded him. "I'm named after _Ian_."

Shawn smiled.

"I know. But it's different with puppies."

"Why?" Marissa asked.

"Because a puppy has to be named by the person who's going to take care of him forever," Shawn answered.

"In this case, Jack," Ian added.

"Can I hold him?" Nia asked, in a much softer voice than the one she'd squealed with a moment before.

Ian nodded, and handed the puppy over to her.

"Be careful with him, though. Okay?"

"Okay."

The other two children crowded around as the puppy started wriggling excitedly at the attention, and Ian stood up and moved to the side to stand with Daniel, Sally and Shawn.

"Do you _really_ think this is a good idea?" Daniel asked softly.

Ian shrugged.

"How's Jack doing?"

Daniel glanced over at the huddle of children, and then walked even further away from them. The others followed.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday," Daniel told them both. "Or Sam."

"The Secret Service is keeping him away from everyone," Sally said. "They wouldn't do that if he was doing okay."

Shawn nodded, but looked thoughtfully over at Ian.

"You don't seem too surprised…"

Ian shook his head.

"I'm not."

Daniel frowned.

"What's going on?"

Ian looked over at the kids.

"It's a long story, Daniel. Right now, I need to go see Jack."


	14. 14

The head of Jack O'Neill's Secret Service detail knocked softly on the door to the Presidential apartments. It was opened only a moment later by Sam O'Neill, who looked tired and worried.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," he said, politely – although he looked annoyed as well. "Colonel Brooks is demanding to see you and POTUS."

"_Colonel_ Brooks?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Yes, Ma'am. I tried to tell him that you were busy, but he said it was important."

And hadn't been at all polite about it, although he didn't mention that to her.

"Ian's here?"

"I can send him back to-"

"No." Sam felt a thrill of hope go through her. If anyone could help, maybe it was Ian. If something was going on inside Jack, there was a chance that Ian might be able to get inside him and see what was wrong – and hopefully fix it. "No," she repeated, looking over her shoulder to Jack, who had apparently fallen asleep again. Had actually cried himself into an exhausted sleep in her arms once more. "Where is he?"

"In the hallway…"

"I'll be right there."

She closed the door, changed quickly into clean clothes, and quietly left the room. The agent was waiting for her right outside the door, and he and another agent led her down the hallway to an intersecting one. Where Ian Brooks was standing, waiting.

He turned just as they came around the corner, and Sam smiled.

"Ian."

She'd meant to just give him a warm hug, but as soon as his arms came around her, she found herself starting to cry. And felt his grip on her tighten. No longer an uncertain young man who was easily embarrassed, Ian was more than prepared to deal with this kind of thing, now. He was _married_, after all. Women weren't quite the mystery they once had been. And he had had a feeling that Sam was going to need a shoulder – especially if Jack wasn't capable of seeing past his own pain to offer her his own.

"Easy, Sam…" he whispered, holding her gently. "It'll be okay…"

She shook her head, unable to say anything just then, but he didn't need her to. He looked over at the Secret Service agent – whom he'd just bullied a few minutes before.

"We need some privacy."

The man nodded and led them to the same room that Sam and Jack had spent the night in, and Ian walked Sam over to the sofa and sat them both down on it. After several long minutes, the worst of the sobs had eased, and she sniffed, trying hard not to get snot all over his shoulder and collar. She'd already soaked both with tears.

"I-I'm sorry…" she said, hoarsely.

"It's okay," he replied, letting go of her with one hand and reaching into his pocket for his handkerchief. He didn't hand it to her, though. Instead, he wiped her eyes and her nose, still holding her close. "Jack's pretty bad, huh?"

She nodded, but then pulled away.

"How did you know?"

"About Jaffer?"

She nodded again, wiping new tears off her cheeks.

"No one knows."

"A few people do," he told her. "But it's a long story, and one that really isn't mine to tell. I need to see Jack."

She shook her head, and he could see the very real fear in her eyes.

"Something's wrong with him… more than just losing Jaffer, I mean. It's-"

"It's losing Jaffer, Sam," Ian told her, interrupting.

"No, it's more than that. You don't understand. He's… I-I don't even know how to explain it."

"Tell me."

OOOOOOOOO

He heard the knock on the door, and even heard Sam's startled reply to the Secret Service agent – although he wasn't sure which agent it was, since the man's voice was deeper and harder to hear than Sam's had been.

_Ian._

Jack kept his eyes closed as he heard Sam getting dressed and leaving, but he couldn't drift off to sleep. That aching, empty spot inside him was growing into something even larger. A canyon, or even an abyss. Something that was threatening to suck him in and never let him go. He recognized the danger of it, even as he slowly slid into it – but couldn't seem to gather himself enough to fight back.

Too bad Ian hadn't come a day earlier.

That thought resounded in the silence that Jaffer had left inside him. A day earlier and none of this would be happening. Jaffer would still be alive. Ian had saved Jack several times, had saved Shawn, and even Jacob. He'd _delivered_ him, for crying out loud, and had managed to turn him from the preemie that he should have been into a normal, healthy baby instead. Saving Jaffer would have been a snap for him. If only he'd managed to arrive a day earlier.

The _bastard_.

Why _couldn't_ he have come a day earlier?

Angry, helpless tears blurred his vision as he pulled himself out of bed and found clothes. A _day_. A single, goddamned day.

OOOOOOOOOO

"I don't even know how to explain it," Sam said, the puzzle giving her a chance to pull away from the bleak concern and look at the problem objectively. At least, a little. "He's… he can't focus, and doesn't seem to be able to pull himself together… Not even enough to see the kids…"

Which was the main thing that had her worried. She'd have bet anything that their children meant more to him than Jaffer did – even though she knew Jack and the black lab had been exceptionally close – and Jack hadn't even mentioned them.

Ian nodded. That was about how Chelani had explained things to him. Only, Ian knew it was just going to get worse. Better to take care of things before they became irreversible.

"I-"

The door opened with a loud bang as it hit the wall, startling both of them, and they looked over, surprised to see Jack coming through the entrance. He was unshaved, puffy-eyed from crying, and had a wild look in his eyes that Ian recognized as bad news immediately.

"Jack…"

"Where the hell _were_ you!?"

Sam stood up, alarmed.

"Jack."

He brushed by her, intent only on Ian – who'd stood up as well.

"You could have saved him! You _could_ have. You only needed to get here a day early!"

Ian put his hand up automatically as O'Neill closed in on him. He wasn't afraid, just concerned. Unfortunately, since he wasn't thinking all that clearly to begin with, it didn't take much for Jack to take the motion as a swing, and the soldier in him took over, blocking Ian's hand and taking a swing of his own.


	15. 15

The blow didn't land. Jack was in exceptional shape for his age – and considering that he rarely had the chance to work out like he used to – _and_ Special Forces trained, but Ian was younger, faster and far more thoroughly trained. Jack's training had been by the Special Forces and occasionally Teal'c. _Ian_ had been trained from the beginning by a combination of Jack, Teal'c and Bra'tac – and _he_ was the one who was now responsible for training the people who were responsible for the safety of Atlantis. He was in top form.

He blocked the blow, moving Jack's hand with his own and allowing the momentum from the errant punch to bring Jack's shoulder into an odd angle to him that allowed him to grab him around the waist, pinning both arms to his sides. O'Neill struggled, furious at the treatment, but Ian held firm, well aware that if he let him go he was in for a real fight. A fight that Ian didn't want anything to do with – even though Jack clearly did.

"Let me go, Colonel!"

"Calm down, Jack…"

_"Let me go!"_

He struggled against Ian's grip, but Ian had him from behind and had more leverage, and Jack couldn't get his arms up to gain any ground. He slammed his head backwards, hoping to smash Ian's nose with his head, but Ian saw it coming and moved easily out of the way.

"Jack, stop."

"Let me go, God _damn_ you!"

"_Jack_!" This was from Sam, who was stunned by the ferociousness of the attack – and surprised by how easily Ian held Jack pinned. She still tended to think of him as the uncertain young man that he'd been when they'd first met. "Stop!"

O'Neill froze at her command, but Ian didn't let him go. He could tell by how tense Jack was that he hadn't given up.

"I couldn't save him, Jack. Not even if I'd been here."

"You _could_ have!" Jack twisted in his grip and this time Ian let him – although he still held his arms. "You could have just put your hands on him and-"

"Jack," Ian interrupted, shaking his head. "No. I couldn't have. He was old and worn-"

"_You_ could have saved him!"

"No, I-"

"You could have! You could have just put your hand on him and-"

"Jack, listen to me. I-"

"No!" O'Neill started struggling, again, and Ian very reluctantly put a stop to it. A simple touch was all it took for him to stun Jack unconscious, and he dropped instantly. Or rather, would have if Ian hadn't caught him and lowered him onto the sofa.

"Is he okay?" Sam asked, instantly, hovering over them as Ian made sure Jack wasn't hurt.

"Yeah, Sam. I just knocked him out. He'll come around in a little while – probably more pissed than he _was_, and with a headache."

"This isn't normal…" she said, biting her lower lip. "Is it?"

Ian shook his head.

"No."

"Which is why _you're_ here…?"

Sam wasn't stupid, and had just proved once more that she was more than capable of figuring things out on her own. Ian's appearance in D.C. – a place that he rarely visited – the day after Jaffer's death was far too much of a coincidence.

"Yeah."

She frowned, torn between annoyed, worried and curious. Curious won out, of course.

"What's wrong with him?"

Ian hesitated, but really, he didn't have a lot of choice in this. Everyone seemed fairly certain that Jack wasn't going to want the puppy he'd brought – which was unacceptable, of course. Ian might need help convincing him, and Sam was that best bet, really. Besides, she was smart enough to understand why the truth had to remain a secret – at least from Jack. And from the others if they could help it.

The Ancients might not like it, but Ian figured that they'd lost their say in things when they'd put Jack into the position they'd put him in, and if they didn't like it… well, tough shit.

"It's a long story," he said, sitting down in the chair that was perfectly positioned next to the sofa Jack was on. "Better get comfortable."

Wordlessly, she sat down on the arm of the couch, watching him expectantly, and Ian didn't make her wait.

Leaning forward, he told her softly what he'd learned from the Ancients about Jack and Jaffer's bond – and what it had meant to the two of them. The only thing he left out was the Alexander connection – and only because he really didn't think that would make a difference one way or the other. The only two that would matter in this instance were Jack and the puppy. At least to Sam. The explanation didn't take all that long; Ian remembered the conversation he'd had with Alexander, and he used it almost exactly as it had been told to him, watching Sam's expression as he spoke and trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"You _knew_ about this?" she asked, when he'd finished.

He nodded.

"And you didn't say anything?"

"There wasn't any reason to, Sam."

She frowned, looking over at Jack's unconscious form.

"No _reason_? He's going to _die_ and you don't think there's any reason I should have known?"

Ian shook his head.

"He's not going to die, Sam. I-"

"You just _said_ he's going to die!"

"I said he'd die if things were allowed to progress the way they're going," he corrected. "I-"

"And how do we stop things from progressing?" she asked, sarcastically. "Look at him. He's-"

"I brought another puppy."

"What?"

"Another puppy, Sam," Ian told her. "Shawn and Gina's dog had puppies, and the solution was born with them. The Ancients knew what was happening to Jaffer, they just couldn't fix it. When Jasmine's puppies were born, one of them came out black – just like Jaffer."

"And you think that means that this one is destined to be Jaffer's replacement?" she asked, scornfully. And Ian couldn't really blame her.

"_They_ told me he is."

"Well, what if _they're_ wrong?" she asked.

"They're not. I've seen this puppy, Sam. He's perfect."

She scowled, and clearly had another thought.

"And in fifteen years when _this_ puppy dies? Then what? We go through it again? _And again?"_

Ian shook his head.

"This one won't die, Sam. I'll make sure of it."

"Jaffer did."

"This one won't."

He seemed so certain, but Sam was far more skeptical. Nothing was immortal, she knew. Not even the Ancients could stop death, and Ian wasn't even an Ancient. But he wasn't normal, either. She knew that, too.

"_Could_ you have saved him?"

Ian shook his head.

"Not even if I'd been here, Sam. He'd given Jack too much of his own energies. Every time Jack was hurt, Jaffer gave up time keeping him alive. Willingly, of course. This time will be different. Jack's not in the danger he was before, and this puppy won't face the dangers that Jaffer did by going off world."

"So Jaffer _might_ have outlived Jack?"

He shrugged.

"Probably not. The Ancients thought this thing out fairly well, but they were almost as short-sighted as the Asgard."

"And _you_ let them."

Which was her own fear and helplessness turning into anger and being redirected at someone she loved. Who didn't deserve it. She just couldn't stop herself from saying it.

Luckily, Ian was far from offended.

"I wasn't even around when it happened," he reminded her, gently. "I was fourteen and living in New York and hadn't even heard of the Ancients or the Ashrak or Jack O'Neill."

Good point. And one that brought Sam up short, and made her anger drain immediately. She sighed, looking down at her hands.

"You brought him?"

"The puppy?"

"Yes."

He nodded.

"He's with Jake and Nia. And Shawn."

"Does he know?"

"No. Just you."

She looked back at Jack for a moment, and then stood up.

"Let's go see him."

Ian might think he was perfect, but Sam had reservations. _Lots_ of reservations.


	16. 16

_Author's note: Sorry about the wait, guys. My mom came into town and when she does, I just can't spend as much time writing as I can when she's not visiting._

OOOOOOOO

As soon as Ian had left the room and with all three of the children infatuated beyond anything else with the puppy, Daniel turned to Shawn.

"How did you guys know about this?"

Shawn shrugged.

"I didn't. Ian did. And before you ask, he didn't tell me."

Sally frowned. She'd been listening in, of course.

"That's odd."

"Nah, not really," Shawn disagreed. "He knows lots of things that I don't. I'm used to it."

"Makes you wonder where he gets his information, though…" Daniel said, softly. He was used to Ian knowing lots of things, too, and mostly attributed it to the knowledge of the Ancients being stuck in his head so many years ago. _This_, however, wasn't something that he could have learned through that knowledge, and that made it even more curious.

Again Shawn shrugged.

"I have a feeling he's a lot more in touch with the other half of my heritage than I am."

"Meaning he's in touch with the Ancients?" Daniel asked.

"He _does_ live in Atlantis."

"None of the reports I've seen have mentioned any Ancients living there, too, though."

"Yeah, but _you_ don't see all the reports any more, Daniel," Shawn reminded him.

"_Are_ there Ancients living there?" Sally asked.

"Not that I know of. And I'd probably know. McKay wouldn't be able to keep it a secret."

Since Rodney McKay was the go-between for the Atlantis expedition and the SGC (mainly because he had his nose in everything that went on with the scientific teams), he was definitely the one who would know.

"Then how would he be in touch with any Ancients?"

"They didn't _all_ move on…" Shawn said, repeating something they both already knew. "Maybe some of them hung around."

"But we just established that they don't live in Atlantis," Sally said. "How-"

"They _could_ be elsewhere," Daniel said. "Shawn's mom used to have a habit of popping in out of nowhere, who's to say other Ancients can't do it, too?"

"True – and probably right on the money," Shawn agreed. He was long past the point where discussion of his mother caused an ache like it once had.

"But why _Ian_?" Sally asked. "He's hardly anyone's first choice as an ambassador… and Shawn here is actually part Ancient."

Daniel shrugged.

"Why not Ian? It's not like they're actually wanting to talk to the governments of the world – and obviously not even Jack – so they don't need someone as a go-between. They might just need someone they can communicate with if something comes up – and Ian can do that."

"You think the Ancients told Ian about Jaffer?" Sally asked dubiously, looking at the puppy the children were all trying to pet at the same time. True to the nature of the little guy, _he_ was trying to lick all of them at the same time – much to their enjoyment.

Shawn shrugged.

"I didn't say that – although I can't figure out how he could have known any other way, now that you mention it. Atlantis isn't close enough to Earth for him to be keeping tabs on things – I don't care what kind of technology he's using. The _Ancients_ probably could, though."

"Why would they even care about Jaffer…?" Sally asked.

Daniel frowned.

"It could be Jack…"

It was something to think about anyways, and Daniel was always willing to make time to think about interesting things.

OOOOOOOOOO

They had to let the press know. The stories that were being passed off as possibilities were bordering on the ludicrous – and many of the members of the media were more than willing to speculate that the President hadn't been seen since the night before because something terrible had happened to him. News of assassinations, poisonings, accidents and a bunch of other untimely occurrences – including possible alien invasions such as hadn't been seen since the time the Goa'uld had tried their run on Earth ten years before – were already starting to spread as more than simply rumors, and Nathan Brooks knew full well that they needed to put an end to it before things got out of hand and the stories of alien invasions in the makings began to cause people to panic.

He didn't even bother to ask Jack O'Neill if he minded. He was the Vice President, after all, and knew from the Secret Service accounts that O'Neill wasn't himself just then. Understandable. And all the more reason for Nathan to make the announcement than Jack.

He called the press conference for as soon as possible, and sent for the White House speechmaker to write him up something that was appropriate. The press was ready before the speech was – and that was saying something, since the speech was really just a short statement.

Checking to make sure his tie was straight and his suit was tidy (not because he cared how he looked to the press, but because Maggie would never let him hear the end of it if he looked like a slob on TV) he stepped up to the podium and set his paper in front of him. Managing to read and still look like he was speaking directly to each camera in front of him, Nathan delivered his speech with all the skill of a true politician – an observation that would have earned the person making it a real ass chewing.

"Good morning. I know that there is a lot of speculation about the sudden absence of the President, and I'm here to let you all know of certain events that have been unfolding. Last night, at about 9:00 Eastern time, the President's black lab, Jaffer, collapsed. The President rushed him to his veterinarian, but nothing could be done and less than an hour later he passed away.

As I'm sure all of you are aware, there is a special bond between President O'Neill and his dog, and I'm sure you can all understand that he's not feeling up to seeing anyone just now."

Of course, whether they understood it or not, it didn't matter. Jack O'Neill was a very popular president, and everyone who had mentioned this to Nathan had also mentioned that there was no way the media would be able to press for any more details or interviews without looking like the bunch of leeches they were. Something that they wouldn't do if they could avoid it.

"We'll get more information to you as soon as we have it," Nathan continued. "For now, though, just be assured that if anything comes up, we're going to take care of it."

He looked around, silently informing the media that that was the end of his statement, and to no one's surprise there was a sudden cacophony of questions from every direction. Nate ignored them all and stepped away from the podium, leaving the questions to the White House press secretary – who knew what little there was to know and would share that information with them.

With a sigh of relief, Nathan headed back to work. Jack was going to owe him big time once he was feeling better. That was for sure.


	17. 17

It was Jacob who saw the door open first. He looked up just at the right moment to see is mother and godfather walk into the room, and jumped to his feet, leaving the puppy for the girls to pamper.

_"Mom!"_

Sam caught him in a hug as he rushed over and held him tightly, well aware that she hadn't been around him and Nia nearly as much as she wanted to be the last few days. Part of that had been because she'd been off in Colorado, of course, but she hadn't seen them since she'd returned, either. And that wasn't the kind of mother she wanted to be.

"Hi, baby," she murmured into his blonde hair. "How are you doing?"

"Ian brought a _puppy_!"

Jake didn't seem at all distressed about not seeing her.

She smiled at his enthusiasm and pulled away, looking around the room. A black furball was the center of attention with Nia and Marissa, and Shawn, Daniel and Sally were all sitting on one of the sofas watching – although Shawn had stood up when his stepmother entered the room.

"He _did_?" she asked, pretending to be surprised.

"For Dad," Jake clarified.

Sam looked over at Ian, who hadn't moved from the doorway – although he had closed the door behind them to afford them a little privacy.

"So I heard…"

Nia stood up, picking up the puppy and bringing him over to her mother.

"Look, Mommy. Can I keep him?"

Jake scowled.

"He's not for _you_. He's for Dad."

Sam reached down and took the puppy from her daughter, smiling at the way her lower lip jutted out at Jake's scolding. Jack made beautiful babies, that was for certain.

"Let me look at him," she said, holding the puppy up and getting her first good look at him, while Ian reached down and scooped up Nia and cuddled her to keep the tears and tantrum at bay.

The puppy was fuzzy and jet-black and watched her with cheerful brown eyes that made Sam's heart ache. He looked a lot like his grandfather, that was for certain, and Sam could remember when Jaffer had been so small and fuzzy.

"How old is he?" she asked, tears stinging her eyes.

"Three weeks," Shawn replied, coming over and watching.

She frowned.

"That's all?"

"He's okay, Sam," Ian assured her.

"He's only three weeks old… How is he okay?"

"He just is," Ian said. "Trust me."

Of course, the puppy himself was proof positive of that. As young as he was, he was big, healthy and active – and as cheerful as every lab ever born. Sam had to believe him.

"Are you going to introduce him to Jack?" Shawn asked, assuming – correctly – that Ian had told Sam the reason for bringing the puppy. Sam was going to be the one who decided, really. _She_ knew Jack better than any of them, and would have a better idea of how Jack was going to react to the replacement.

She hesitated, and looked over at Ian, who was tickling Nia to keep her distracted from the conversation. The puppy whined, almost as if he were putting in his own two cents' worth, and Sam pressed her cheek lightly against his furry muzzle.

"We can try…" she said, but they could all tell that she wasn't all that confident of the outcome.

OOOOOOOOO

They didn't do anything right away. For one thing, Nia wanted some time with her mother and wasn't about to be talked out of it for anything. For another, Jack was sleeping off Ian's Ancient version of a Vulcan neck pinch and was almost certainly going to wake up pissed. Not necessarily the perfect atmosphere for trying to introduce a new puppy.

Ian traded Sam Nia for the puppy and took the little guy over to the couch, settling him against his side where he promptly fell asleep. Marissa crawled up onto Ian's lap – mainly so she could be close to the puppy – and Daniel and Sally used the opportunity to go grab a late breakfast, knowing that between Ian and Shawn their little girl would be more than safe.

Shawn walked over and sat down, amused to see Marissa already dozing off in Ian's lap. For someone as volatile as Ian was, he certainly was able to soothe little kids. They swarmed him whenever he allowed it – although he always said it was because little kids were like cats, and could sense which people didn't want them anywhere near them, and then jumped up on them just to be difficult.

"Is he going to need to eat soon?" he asked, looking at the puppy.

Ian shook his head.

"I'll give him something to gnaw on later, just to get him used to the idea of chewing."

"He hasn't been weaned yet, Ian."

"Yeah, he has… He just doesn't know it."

Which confirmed what Shawn had already figured out on his own; Ian was sustaining the puppy – and probably doing some kind of accelerated growth with him to judge from the way they little guy had been gaining weight when he definitely should have been losing it. Even only a day away from his mother should have sickened him at the age he was, but he was looking healthy and hale.

"That's unnatural…" Shawn murmured.

Ian snorted, careful not to wake child or puppy.

"This coming from _you_?"

Shawn scowled.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"How old are you? Twenty-six?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because if your Ancient side is going to develop, it should be doing it pretty soon."

"What?"

Ian smiled at Shawn's annoyed and confused expression.

"Ancients start coming into their full abilities about the age of thirty, Shawn. Unless the human side smothers the Ancient out – and I don't see that happening – you should be starting to find yourself picking up all sorts of odd talents."

"How do you know that?"

"McKay."

"What kind of talents?"

Ian shrugged.

"It'll depend. I guess some had abilities others didn't. We'll have to wait and see."

Surprised at the sudden change of topic, Shawn couldn't think of anything to reply to that, so they sat in silence for a while, watching Sam dote on her children.

Which was fine with Ian, who was more than willing to take a break and relax.


	18. 18

It was the ache that woke Jack O'Neill. Not a headache – although once he'd opened his eyes and moved around a little he definitely had a headache – this was an ache that was much deeper. Sleep was never peaceful all of the sudden. Nothing was peaceful. Even in Sam's arms – where he'd ached to be for so long and loved nothing more – he was hurting and empty. There was an emptiness inside him that he couldn't explain and couldn't ignore, even while he was asleep – or unconscious.

God, he missed that dog.

Tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, and Jack wiped them away angrily as he sat up. Ian and Sam were nowhere to be seen. He could clearly remember what he'd said to the boy, and knew that he'd stepped over the line, but he couldn't make himself feel bad about it. Only chagrined by the fact that he knew better than to attack Ian. He'd trained the boy himself and knew he was impossibly good – especially since he remembered every move anyone showed him, and knew _all_ of Jack's moves. Not to mention all that Ancient shit he had access to.

With a groan, he stood up and once he was certain he wasn't going to fall on his face again, he walked to the door and opened it. As he'd expected, the Secret Service had two agents right outside the door.

"Where are they?"

There was no doubt in the agent's mind who he was referring to.

"The playroom, sir."

Jack felt a pang at the reminder that he hadn't spent time with the kids since everything had started to unglue. Especially since he'd promised Nia he'd tell her a bedtime story the night before – and hadn't. But even that pang was nothing compared to the ache that wouldn't release the grip it had on his heart.

He turned and headed down the hall, followed at a discreet distance by the Secret Service agents.

OOOOOOOO

The puppy woke suddenly, surprising Ian, who had been dozing on the couch next to him. The fuzzy head popped up with a surprised yip, drawing attention to him from everyone in the room (except Marissa who was soundly asleep on Ian's lap). Before anyone could say anything, though, the door opened and startled them all over again.

Jack came in the room, looking just as pissed as Ian had expected him to. The look faded almost immediately, though, and O'Neill looked right at the sofa Ian was sitting on. But not at _him_, Ian realized. It was the puppy beside him that had Jack's attention.

_"Daddy!"_

Nia jumped to her feet and ran over to her father, who looked almost as if someone had whacked him in the back of the head with a baseball bat. The little girl threw herself into him, her head coming not even to his belly, and wrapped her arms around him as far as they could go.

Jack ignored her, his eyes still on the puppy, who was now looking directly at him. Almost as if something had passed between the two of them, Jack suddenly took a step back, spilling his daughter on the floor when she was caught by surprise at the motion.

"No…"

The whisper was soft, and heartbreaking.

Nia started crying, uncertain why her father had ignored her and heartbroken because of it. Jack took another step back and then tore his gaze from the puppy, turning and leaving the room almost at a run. And leaving a stunned silence that was broken only by the crying of the little girl who was still sprawled on the softly carpeted floor.

OOOOOOOOO

Sam had been startled by Jack's sudden appearance. Ian had told her he'd be out for several hours, but it hadn't been anywhere near that long. An hour or so at the most. She watched, unable to say anything or even move as Jack entered the room, and had tensed when it became apparent that he'd seen the puppy. She'd planned something a little less abrupt. A chance to introduce the idea to him without actually bringing the puppy into the equation until after she'd had a chance to gauge his reaction to the idea. This wasn't in the plan.

The entire almost entirely silent confrontation had only lasted a moment, but it felt like forever. He'd seen the puppy, realized him for what he was apparently, and rejected him. And then in his own agony – and she could practically feel the agony emanating off him – he'd ignored Nia and had completely ignored Jake and herself as well.

Sam recovered quickly as he turned, and went over to gather up their daughter in her arms, accompanied by Jake, who looked a bit shaken at the first sign that his father wasn't the storybook hero that everyone had always painted him to be.

"It's okay, baby…" Sam murmured softly to Nia, rocking her gently and trying to soothe her. Nia was having none of it. Her wailing only grew louder.

Ian handed a half-awake Marissa over to Shawn and stood up, moving over to the small group.

"Give her here, Sam," he told her, reaching for the little girl.

Sam hesitated. Nia was _her_ baby and _her_ responsibility. And it was _her_ job to soothe and comfort hurts like this. _Not_ Ian's. He was just a kid – although even as she thought it she knew it wasn't true anymore – and it was _his_ stupid idea that had caused Jack to get angry and ignore Nia and Jake and her.

And was immediately ashamed of that particular thought. Ian was as blameless in all of this as Jack was. If anyone deserved blame it was the Ancients, and Sam couldn't even hate them. They'd been trying to help – and they _had_ helped. Jaffer had saved Jack's life so many times when Sam had thought she'd lost him, and he'd guarded her and their children as if they were his own all the years they'd known him. She couldn't hate anyone for that. No matter how much she wanted to.

Wordlessly, she handed Nia up to Ian, who took her easily, even though it's a well known fact that a child in the middle of a tantrum or crying spate can seem to weigh up to three times as much as they actually do.

"Nia…" Ian said, cradling the little girl up against him but forcing her to turn her face towards his. "Listen to me."

Miraculously – or maybe because he'd done something she hadn't seen – Nia looked at him, fat tears rolling down her flushed cheeks and her brown eyes watery and bleak.

"You _know_ that your daddy loves you. Right?"

Reluctantly, she nodded.

"And you _know_ he would never hurt you. Right?"

Another nod, but many more tears joined those already tracking a course down into her shirt.

"He didn't even _see_ you, Sweet Girl," Ian told her, wiping away her tears with his spare hand. "All he can think of right now is how much he misses Jaffer. If he'd been thinking more clearly, he'd be very upset for hurting your feelings. Know why?"

She sniffed, and shook her head.

"Because he loves you _very_ much."

She didn't look completely assured, but the tears did stop and he was able to hand her off to Sam without another breakdown. Sam smiled; amazed at the way he'd handled it.

"That was _very_ smooth, Ian," she said, even as she sifted her fingers through her daughter's silky hair to calm her even further.

Ian shrugged.

"I've watched Cassie soothe over hurt feelings a million times, Sam," he said, wryly. "I _should_ be a pro by now…"


	19. 19

He'd gone into the room fully intending to chew Ian a new one for knocking him out. Maybe even kick him out of the White House – just to make himself feel a little better about getting taken out so easily.

He didn't make it that far.

As soon as the door opened, Jack felt something pull at him. Not a physical pull – although it struck him so forcefully that it might as well have been. His eyes went immediately to the black puppy that was at Ian's side, and when their eyes met he actually felt a stab of recognition. Along with that recognition was the promise of a lifetime of love and companionship – all he had to do was reach for it.

Stunned, he took a step back. Another chance? The puppy's brown eyes watched him – even across the room Jack could feel the love and warmth in them – and it tore at him, driving him back to the brink of the madness he'd felt earlier. He _couldn't_. He'd already lost Jaffer. What if he lost this one?

_You won't._

You can't promise that.

_Yes, I can._

The silent conversation that seemed to take place in his very soul was the final kicker. Certain – absolutely positive – that he'd finally cracked, Jack jerked back, away from the promise of everything suddenly becoming okay and the pleading in the soft brown eyes.

"No!"

No one could promise immortality and he'd never again open himself up to the loss that he was feeling just then. Never.

Before he could change his mind, he turned, vaguely aware that Nia was holding him but unable to even acknowledge her, and fled. Blinded by tears and an ache that seemed ready to tear him completely apart, Jack made it only as far as the nearest unlocked door before dodging in and collapsing in an agonized heap.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Want me to go talk to him?" Shawn asked Sam, who was still cuddling Nia.

She shook her head.

"I'd better do it. Will you take Nia?"

More importantly, though, was the question of if _Nia_ would allow Shawn to take her. If she threw a fit, there was no way Sam would be able to leave her – and no way she'd take her with her when she searched out Jack.

Nia was a sweet child, however, and much loved and cherished by her brothers – both Shawn and Jacob. Well aware of that love, even though she didn't understand it, really, she was more than willing to transfer to Shawn's outstretched arms and tuck her head up under his chin.

Sam hesitated, looking at Jake, but the boy was a lot more mature than his ten and a half years, and understood what she needed.

"I'll stay with Ian and Shawn," he told his mother.

Ian reached an arm out and pulled the boy close, not hugging him exactly, but putting an arm around him nonetheless.

"I've got him, Sam."

She nodded and left, already trying to figure out what she'd say to convince Jack to accept the puppy – without telling him why it was so important that he did.

Shawn looked down at his sister, who sniffed and then wiped her nose on the collar of his uniform – much to Ian's amusement – and then over to Marissa who was only half awake at best, but upset because her friend was.

"So, sweet girl," he said softly, turning his attention back to his little sister. "What shall we do today?"

There was no sense in making them stay inside if they wanted to go out, or keeping them in this room – unless they wanted to be there.

Sensing that this was a perfect opportunity to get her way, Nia hesitated, uncertain what to ask for when anything was possible.

"Can we go to A&W?"

It was her favorite place to go, but she rarely had a chance to go there. Not that Sam and Jack – or the Secret Service agents assigned to the children – weren't willing to bring a hamburger and root beer float in for her, but because of the high profile of those around her, she never really had the chance to go like normal kids could.

Shawn looked at Ian.

"What do you think?"

"Please Ian," Jacob said, turning his excited brown eyes on his Godfather. Jake didn't get a chance to go to A&W all that often, either – and was just as excited. "_Please_?"

Ian shrugged, looking over at Marissa.

"You want to get a hamburger, kiddo?"

She nodded, not anywhere near as excited as the other two. Her parents were famous, too, after all, but only to those people who read the scientific and engineering journals and archeological digests. They were able to go pretty much wherever they wanted to eat – and whenever.

"Can we take the puppy?" she asked, picking him up and cuddling him close – and receiving a lot of licks for her attention.

"We'll have to," Ian told her. "We can't risk letting him get lost, can we?"

She shook her head, and with the puppy carefully tucked into her arms she walked over to the small group.

"Do we need to let Daniel know we're taking her?" Shawn asked as they headed for the door.

"Nah. We'll let the Secret Service guys take care of that."

They _did_ have their uses, after all.

Even as he was thinking that, one of the agents approached them from further down the hall. This one wasn't one of Jack's personal guards – Ian knew all of them by name – this was one of the guys that normally checked visitors in and out of the White House.

"Colonel Brooks…"

"Yeah?"

"You have visitors, sir."

"I do? Who?"

He couldn't think of anyone who even knew he was in town – aside from his folks. If it was his mom visiting, she'd have come found him – or he'd been taken to see her – and his dad was already in the building as far as he knew.

The agent turned his head, and Ian followed his gaze toward the end of the hall. Standing at the doorway that led to the corridor they were in was Cassie.

"That didn't take long," Shawn said, grinning. He wasn't at all surprised Cassie had shown up. She loved Jack – and Jaffer – and would have wanted to be in D.C. if he needed her.

Ian smiled, too. It was an automatic smile for him. Cassie was the reason his sun rose every morning – although he'd have cut his heart out with a fork before actually saying that aloud – and he was glad to see her.

"I wonder how she-"

Before he even finished the thought, two more people came around the corner and entered the corridor. Two very small, dark-haired people. They saw him as soon as he saw them, and broke towards him in a run.

"_Daddy!"_


	20. 20

_Author's Note: This chapter might seem a little boring, but it's really a transitional chapter – and a good chance to meet a couple of new characters, so I thought I'd write it out. Hope you like it!_

OOOOOOOOOOO

Ian's smile for Cassie broadened into a wide grin and he caught up the two boys as they threw themselves into his arms. He easily held them both – at four years old they were hardly a heavy burden – and gave them both a quick hug. And promptly scowled at Shawn's amused look.

"Just wait, Adams. _Your_ day is coming."

The boy in his right arm giggled, even though he didn't have a clue what was so funny.

"Hi, Uncle Shawn!"

Shawn smiled.

"Which one are you?"

The child giggled. He was used to people having trouble telling him apart from his twin brother. It happened all the time, after all.

"_Carter_."

Nia pouted at the sudden change of attention – and the possibility that she was going to lose her chance to go to A&W.

"_We're_ going to A&W," she said before Shawn could respond, mainly to remind her older brother that he'd already promised to take them – even though she was looking directly at the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy in Ian's right arm as she'd said it.

"Can we come?" Carter's twin asked, looking hopefully at his father. They didn't have any more opportunities for a real hamburger, either. Atlantis was a long way away from McDonald's, after all.

Ian looked over at Cassie, who had walked over to them while they'd been talking.

"How did you get here so quickly?"

He wasn't surprised to see her. He'd known that she'd come as soon as she could – although he hadn't expected her to bring the boys.

"River brought us in a Gateship," Carter told him. "Mike got to sit shotgun, but _I_ get it on the way back."

The boy in Ian's left arm beamed.

"River let me dial."

"You brought a Gateship?" Shawn asked, surprised.

Cassie nodded, smiling, and reaching over to steal Nia from him. The little girl went more than willingly, hugging Cassie tightly for a moment before squirming around to watch the others – and to make sure Shawn didn't escape without taking them to A&W.

"River's putting it someplace inconspicuous."

"It's a _Gateship_," Ian said, sarcastically. "Where's he planning on putting it to keep people from noticing it?"

"He's using the cloaking device," Michael Brooks told his father, grinning. "But we landed right out in front and no one even saw us!"

"Except the _Air Force_," Shawn corrected, amazed as he always was that Ian's boys were so articulate for their age. Of course, both boys had already shown signs of potential brilliance – from their _mother_, Ian always told anyone who mentioned it – and they'd lived their whole lives in the company of people such as Rodney McKay, Radek Zelenka and many others, so it was only natural. "We always know where _everyone_ is, now."

Ian nodded his agreement.

"And why is that, Carter?" he asked.

"Because of the multi-spectral shield."

Ian gave Shawn a smug look.

"And _who_ built it?"

Shawn rolled his eyes, but Carter answered immediately, grinning. They'd played this game before, and he loved it.

"You."

"And what does it do, Michael?"

"Keeps track of all aircraft in a given airspace – cloaked or not."

Cassie rolled her eyes, too.

"I thought we were going to get some hamburgers?"

"And root beer floats!" Jacob added, putting his two cents worth in.

"Sounds good to me," Cassie agreed, setting Nia down. "Why don't you guys go and find River and see if he wants to come, too?"

The twins whooped excitedly, reminding them all that they were, in fact, only four and more than capable of becoming excited over the smallest things. Both boys wriggled out of their father's arms and took off down the hall at a run as soon as they hit the floor. Jacob and Nia followed, as did Marissa – as soon as Ian rescued the puppy from her so he wouldn't get bounced around.

A glance at the Secret Service agent that had accompanied them reassured Ian that the kids wouldn't have any trouble finding their Uncle River, and gave him a chance to turn his full attention to Cassie.

Who was looking at the puppy he was holding.

"Who's that?"

Ian handed him over to her.

"Hopefully Jack's new puppy."

"He's _Jasmine's_ puppy," Shawn explained. "Ian swooped in and took him without so much as a please…"

Cassie frowned, looking at the puppy, who took the opportunity to steal a kiss – which caused her to smile sadly as she remembered how Jaffer would do that, too.

"He looks _just_ like him…"

"Too much, maybe," Shawn said. "Jack wasn't impressed when they met."

She frowned.

"What happened?"

"He took one look at him and took off," Ian said. "Sam went after him."

"Should I go-"

Ian shook his head.

"Not yet. Let Sam have a chance to talk to him. She knows what's wrong, and hopefully can work around it and-"

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked, frowning.

"_He_ won't say," Shawn told her, annoyed.

"I _can't_ say," Ian corrected. "It's not the same thing."

Cassie turned a quizzical look at her husband.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means that I _can't_ say."

"But-"

"Look. Let's go get something to eat. By the time we're done, Sam will probably be able to bring Jack around a bit, and mom will want to see the boys. We'll have plenty of time to talk, then."

Although he had absolutely no intention of telling her about Alexander. Not even Cassie. He just couldn't.

She didn't look convinced, but Shawn put his arm around her waist, distracting her.

"Come on, Cassie," he told her. "Let him keep his secrets. _We_ have each other."

Ian scowled.

"You don't _have_ each other, Adams. Now go find us a car so we don't have to walk to A&W – and tell the Secret Service guys that we're taking Marissa so Daniel and Sally know where to find her."

Shawn grinned, well aware he'd struck a nerve and annoyed Ian. He let go of Cassie and snapped off a perfect salute.

"Yes, _Sir_, Colonel Brooks, _sir_!"

A parade ground perfect about face and a double-time trot down the corridor left Ian shaking his head, torn between annoyance and amusement.

"You're such a bully," Cassie chided.

Amusement won out, and Ian smiled. He'd had precious little to smile about the last couple of days, after all.

"I know. Let's go."


	21. 21

She found him huddled in a miserable ball, shaking and pale – and looking even worse than he had before. Something she wouldn't have believed possible. She went to the door and closed it firmly, shutting out the rest of the world, and walked over and crouched beside him, setting her hand gently on his shoulder.

He flinched at the touch, and turned to her, his expression completely bewildered and lost.

"Go away, Sam…"

His voice was harsh and empty, and once more she thought she could feel her heart break.

"Jack… it's okay."

He shook his head, and leaned against the wall, away from her.

"It's never going to be okay. I'm going crazy. I _really_ think I am."

Sam sat down beside him, and leaned against the same wall he was leaning against, right beside him.

"You're not _crazy_, Jack. You're just injured."

He shook his head.

"I heard that dog talking in my _head_. I _know_ it's a _boy_. It _is_, isn't it? A boy, I mean. I can even feel that he's part _Jaffer_ – although I _don't_ know what that means." A sob escaped as his voice cracked over Jaffer's name, but he managed to get the rest of the sentence out.

"He's Jasmine's puppy," she told him, reaching out and touching his leg. He was clammy and shaking, and it was unnerving to see him so upset. "Shawn and Gina thought-"

"_Ian's_ behind it," Jack interrupted, and she wasn't sure if he was angry about that or not. And didn't know how he'd figured that out in the state of mind he was in just then.

"Yes."

"What do they want? What does _he_ want?"

"They – he – thinks the puppy might help you… regain your equilibrium."

Jack shook his head.

"Nothing will. Jaffer's gone. I wish _I_ was, too."

"Don't you say that," Sam snapped, suddenly angry. "Don't you _ever_ say that. You have two small children who love you and need you, and you have a son who doesn't have a clue what's coming – and _he's_ going to need you, too. And I need you."

He shook his head, again, feeling another ache in a long line of them as he realized that what she said was true – and the realization that he couldn't bring himself to care just then. Nothing could pierce that emptiness inside him that Jaffer had left. Not even Sam, who he loved more than anyone.

"I need him, Sam… I miss him so much… you don't understand…"

His voice broke again, and this time he crumbled against her as she wrapped her arms around him and held him.

"It's okay, Jack. Really…"

He shuddered, but didn't reply, and Sam put her hand against his cheek and pressed his face against her own.

"Really," she told him. "We'll fix it."

He just shook his head again, and his tears soaked both of their faces.

OOOOOOOOOO

The American people liked and respected Jack O'Neill. They liked and respected him when he'd saved the world from certain alien invasion. They'd liked and respected him even more as the Director of the Homeworld Defense Network – as it'd ended up being called – and they'd even carried that liking and respect over to the polls when it came time to vote him into office. Yes, they liked Jack O'Neill.

But they loved Jaffer. An entire generation had been raised watching O'Neill and Jaffer interact. They'd seen the big lab when he'd been next to Jack the first time he'd been presented to the world by the press, and Jaffer had stood by his side the first time Jack had been sworn into office in public – when he'd become Director of the Homeworld Defense Network. He'd been standing by Jack's side when he'd announced the birth of his daughter – grinning like an idiot, which had made the American people like him even more.

Jaffer made sportsmen drool, children oooh and awww, and the majority of the female population smile at the blatant flirting in his expression. Everyone loved him – even cat people. And the announcement of his passing stunned them all. Immediately there were crowds of people gathering around the gates of the White House, all hoping for a glimpse of Jack, or Sam – or even one of the kids, or hoping for a chance to show support to a guy that absolutely had to be reeling from the loss of a dog that they'd all been able to tell he'd loved.

They brought memorabilia, too. Flowers were placed along the fence line, several feet deep, or hung on the fence itself. Pictures of the lab – or other labs that were owned by those showing their respect – were hung on the fence as well. As were cards made by people of all ages, and left where the Secret Service could see them and debate what to do with them. They were, for the moment, simply left where they were, and members of the press could be found taking pictures of them, or other things, or simply interviewing those mourners who had gathered.

Jack was oblivious to it all, of course, as was Sam. The Secret Service were watching the crowds carefully – you never knew when some kind of psycho might use such a distraction as a chance to cause mischief or worse – but at the moment everyone was well behaved; talking to each other, or surreptitiously wiping tears so no one would tease them later if they were by chance caught on some news tape bawling, or sifting through the cards and letters and flowers, reading with interest what others had written. Or just staring at the White house blankly.

None of them saw the Gateship fly overhead. Some might have felt the slight change in air pressure around them, but when they didn't see anything they assumed it was simply a change coming in the weather – or just a slight breeze that was a little odd. Most were too preoccupied to even care.

Inside the craft the pilot was watching the scene below with a slightly sad and somewhat impressed expression. He wasn't the biggest dog lover on the planet – although he'd really liked Jaffer and felt bad for Jack O'Neill – so he couldn't really understand why so many people would crowd around just to pay their respects to the memory of a dog. Even a really cool one like Jaffer had been.

_"Gateship One, this is Andrews tracking…"_

Major River Hayden keyed the communication system of the Gateship.

"Go ahead, Andrews, I'm listening."

"_The Secret Service are requesting that you land in the park, Major," _the voice on the other end told him. _"Behind the main house is a grove of poplar trees with a small clearing in the middle of them…"_

River gained a little altitude, turning the ship to look towards the back of the White House. From what he'd heard, every president who lived in the White House had planted a tree in the park that surrounded the residence. Their own way to leave a legacy, he supposed. The only problem was…

"_Andrews, this is Gateship One. I don't have a clue what a poplar tree looks like."_

They all looked the same to him. Green.

There was a slight hesitation, and then the voice came back on.

_"Hold on, Gateship One… we will advise…"_

It was about three minutes later when River saw a small group of Secret Service agents leave the rear entrance of the White House, looking up – although not directly at him. One of them made a gesture towards a small group of trees – which looked exactly like every other tree he could see – and made a 'landing' motion with his hands.

_"Gateship One, so you see them?"_

"Affirmative, Andrews," River said, aiming the ship for the small clearing in the center of those trees. Which looked like every other clearing, really. Apparently one had to be a botanist to live in the White House. Or at least to land there. "I'm landing now. Please advise them to stand clear."

"_Roger, Gateship One."_

The Secret Service guys stayed where they were, watching, and with a barrel roll that none of them could see, River brought the Gateship in for a perfect landing. A few minutes after that, he popped the rear hatch and moved out of the ship, joining the agents who were still standing where they'd been waiting.

"Welcome to the White House, Major Hayden," one of them told him, extending him his hand.

River took it with a grin, his usual sense of humor restored fairly quickly.

"Thanks. Where do we go now?"

_"River!"_

There was a mad rush of small people suddenly rushing towards him from the house, and the agent who had greeted him gave him a rare smile.

"Apparently, A&W."


	22. 22

The A&W was surprisingly empty considering the fact that it was early afternoon and it was a popular place for people to eat lunch. Ian had a feeling that the Secret Service might have had something to do with it – although he didn't have a clue how they could have convinced people (especially people in D.C.) to go eat somewhere else without setting off all sorts of rumors that someone interesting was coming. Not that he cared, really. As far as he was concerned, the less people he had to contend with the better.

"They have toys!"

Ian rolled his eyes.

"_Relax_, Hayden. They'll be there after we're done eating."

Cassie giggled, which made Shawn smile as well. The three of them were all on Atlantis together and saw each other fairly regularly, and Shawn certainly missed their antics.

"Can we play on the toys, daddy?" Carter asked his father, his dark eyes excited and pleading at the same time.

"_Can we_?" Nia echoed, standing between the twins and looking just as hopeful.

"Go ahead."

Ian had no defense against any of them, much to his own chagrin. Especially Nia who was absolutely adorable, his goddaughter _and_ named after him.

The kids all went screaming excitedly – except Jake, who considered himself above all that. Following the kids was one of the Secret Service agents – now dressed casually so as not to tip anyone off that he was a bodyguard and make them wonder why he was guarding a small group of children. Of course, only a blind man or an idiot would really be fooled by the simple change of clothes, Ian knew – but there weren't a lot of people in the restaurant -- blind idiots or otherwise -- so they'd probably be all right.

River watched the kids rush the large playground, hesitated, and looked over at the register where a very pretty woman was standing behind the counter watching them approach. It didn't surprise any of them that he chose to join them as they went to order.

The woman glanced at the puppy in Ian's arm.

"_He's_ not supposed to be in here…" she told him, although she _did_ smile. Cute puppies turned women into mush inside, after all.

"We can't leave him in the car," Ian told her. "He's too little to be left alone."

"Here." River reached over and took the puppy from Ian and tucked him into the flight jacket he was still wearing. The little fuzzy black head stuck out, but aside from that, he was mostly unnoticeable. He smiled winningly at the woman. "How's that?"

She returned his smile, and looked at the others and shrugged.

"Just don't let him poop on the floor, okay?"

"We won't," Cassie promised. "Thanks."

With the puppy taken care of, they ordered. Burgers, fries, root beer floats for the kids – and for Cassie – with coffee for River and Mountain Dew for Shawn and Ian. They ordered meals for the Secret Service agents as well, figuring (correctly) that they wouldn't order for themselves or think it appropriate to eat while on the job. If they were handed a meal, however, it'd be rude not to eat it, and it was a quiet way to tell them thanks for watching the kids when that wasn't specifically in their job description. Jake and Nia, yes, but not the others.

River stuck around and flirted with the cashier – who turned out to be the manager of the restaurant – and the others went and sat down, well aware that River would bring their lunch when it was ready.

"So what are you guys working on?" Shawn asked, not at all surprised when Jacob sat himself firmly between his older brother and his godfather.

"_Secret_ stuff, Adams," Ian said, nudging Jake, who grinned. "If I tell you, I'll have to have Jake here kill you."

Cassie smiled.

"He's been training the newest batch of military geniuses," she told Shawn.

"Oh?"

Ian made a disgusted noise, and shrugged.

"The last batch of recruits you sent are about as worthless as tits on a boar hog. They all think they know everything and most of them couldn't hit the broadside of a barn if they were standing inside it."

Shawn chuckled.

"That bad? Really?"

"A couple of them are okay," Cassie said. "The new doctor that came in to replace Captain Dannin is a genius. Carson's already thinking about putting him on my team."

"And you're okay with that?"

Cassie shrugged.

"Why not? Unlike _some_ people…" and her hand brushed Ian's tenderly for just a moment. "_I'm_ not an unreasonable asshole. I'm more than willing to give him a chance to show me what he's got."

"I'm not _unreasonable_," Ian told her, pretending indignation. "I'm just harder to please."

Shawn grinned, and Jacob giggled. He loved it when Ian came to town.

Before Cassie could reply, River showed up with a couple of trays loaded down with their orders. Cassie excused herself to go gather the kids – who wouldn't be happy at the quick service, although Ian was.

"So she's still enjoying being there?" Shawn asked, as River seated himself in the spot Cassie had vacated, and started arranging booster chairs for the twins.

Ian nodded.

"She _says_ she does. I know Beckett likes her and she likes working for him. It seems like a waste of a perfectly good doctorate in metaphysical and theoretical physiology to be studying Wraith DNA, but it's what she wants to do."

"What do _you_ think she should be doing?" Shawn asked.

"Whatever she wants to do," Ian said, shrugging. "I just don't really give a shit about saving the Wraith from this new disease. As far as I'm concerned, _we_ should be making the virus ourselves."

"She's not trying to save the Wraith," River corrected. "She's trying to make sure that _we_ can't catch it."

Ian just shrugged again, and reached for his food. This wasn't really the place or time for such conversations – especially now that the younger kids were rushing over to join them, eyes lit up in anticipation of root beer floats.

"What are _you_ doing?" Shawn asked River. "Still flying the new P-21?"

The P-21 was a new space/atmosphere craft that was being designed and tested for long-range flights from Atlantis to Earth. Small and agile, it was a lot like the Wraith darts – only these were designed to hold more than one passenger and were a little bigger and wouldn't fit through the Stargates. They were driven by a new drive that Ian had designed along with one of his former instructors at the academy – a Major named Patrick – and Ian had insisted the plane be named in some way for him. Which was what the P stood for. River Hayden had happily jumped at the chance to be a test pilot for it – especially since it was going to end up being faster than anything even the _Asgard_ had ever built.

River frowned.

"That's _classified_, Shawn."

Ian snorted.

"He's just saying that because he crashed one the other day."

"No, I didn't. I made an _emergency landing_… it's different."

Cassie smiled.

"As I recall, it crashed and burned."

"It's only an _emergency landing_ if you don't eject from it before the landing," Ian said, which made Shawn laugh outright.

River scowled, but he was far too good-tempered to be actually annoyed by simple teasing. Besides, it really _was_ a crash landing.

"Someone pass me my burger."

Which only made them laugh harder.


	23. 23

They sat quietly for several hours. Jack holding Sam as tightly as a lost child holds a security blanket or a toy, and Sam patiently cradling him like she had both her children when they'd had bad dreams. Only this wasn't a dream, and it didn't go away when Jack woke up.

His body was so tense she was worried about his health. Of course, she thought bitterly, if something didn't happen quickly, it wouldn't matter. Thanks to the Ancients and their stupid shortsighted plans he was already so torn apart that a headache, or even anxiety attacks weren't going to matter in the long run. A week, Ian had told her. Maybe not even that long to judge by the way he was reacting.

"What's wrong with me, Sam…?" Jack asked her in a hoarse whisper. Obviously he could tell that she'd been thinking about something – and correctly guessed that it was about him. It was just a sign of how well the two of them knew each other.

She looked down at him, surprised that he'd even managed to pull himself together enough to care, and ran her hand along his cheek, touching him to remind him that she was there for him. He was damp with sweat and tears, and slumped against her.

"You've lost someone you need very badly," she told him, wondering if she should just tell him the truth. He was smart enough to figure it out eventually, she was sure – assuming he survived. "It's thrown you into shock."

He shook his head.

"It's more than that, isn't it? Otherwise Ian wouldn't be here…"

"He's a _kid_," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "What does he know?"

"Everything."

"Ian brought the puppy, Jack. He thought it might help."

"How did he know?"

"Who knows?" she evaded. "You know how he is. The important thing is that you give it a try…"

He shook his head.

"I can't, Sam. I don't want another dog. I want Jaffer back."

"Jack…"

"No."

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against her shoulder, effectively cutting off any more conversation.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Maggie Brooks avoided the White House as much as possible. She was used to being easily recognized – although it used to be that the only people who really recognized her were people who followed dance – but there was something more about coming to the White House than just having everyone looking at you and watching your every move.

There were tours being conducted all the time, it seemed. People wandering through the building speaking with hushed tones and the Secret Service watching them all intently expecting trouble from every source – which was their job, she understood. She just didn't like the way the constant scrutiny of those around her made her a bit edgy. Which tended to make her a bit short-tempered whenever she visited.

This was an exception, however, and as the car stopped at the edge of the parking garage area (they'd brought her in the underground route so she could avoid the crowds of mourners) she practically bolted from the car, opening the door herself before the Marine honor guard could do it for her.

"Where are they?" she asked Nathan, who had been waiting for her.

"The boys took them out for lunch. With Cassie."

She smiled.

"She brought them both?"

He shrugged.

"That's what the Secret Service are telling me."

"Let's go find them."

She was all set to head back to the car, but Nate stopped her with a hand and a grin at her excitement.

"They're at the _A&W_, dear. What are you planning on doing? Rushing in and bringing all the press with you to interrupt their lunch?"

She frowned.

"No. But we can-"

"Sneak in there?" he asked her, with gentle sarcasm. He was the Vice President of the United States. They never _snuck_ anywhere. "The press will be on us in a flash and you know it."

"But-"

"We can wait until they get back, Maggie."

She pelted him with another frown, but he knew from the expression on her face that she hadn't considered what going and finding the kids would do. It would turn lunch into a big press meeting, and they both knew the kids would be the prime focus, since they were twins, adorable and _Ian's_. It drove the media crazy that he wouldn't let them anywhere near the twins – or _Cassie_ – and with them living as far away from Washington DC as they could be, the press rarely had a chance to see them.

Not to mention that Sam and Jack's two were there, also, and _they_ had a hard enough time getting a chance to be normal. They certainly didn't need their only afternoon away from the White House in the last two days ruined by an overly excited grandmother and a gaggle of media.

She sighed, and nodded.

"But we're going to have them to dinner," she said, firmly.

"Of course, dear."

"I _mean_ it, Nathan."

"I know. Hopefully, they'll let us have them the rest of the afternoon."

_That_ thought mollified her, he could tell. She looked over at him as the Marine shut the car door and the driver took the car off to park it.

"What do you have scheduled for today?"

"A meeting with the JC, and then a teleconference with Alan Hunt to discuss the ramifications of the new Wraith disease. What are you-"

"What new Wraith disease?"

He frowned.

"I didn't tell you about it?"

"No."

His frown turned into a smirk, and he took her arm and turned her towards the elevator that led up to the main floors – and his office.

"Come on, and I'll tell you all about it over lunch. You're going to _love_ this."


	24. 24

Two hours later, Maggie Brooks was once again in the underground parking area – this time standing beside her husband as the two of them (and a small contingent of Secret Service agents) waited for unmarked and unremarkable – on purpose – car to come to a stop in front of them.

"There they are…" she said, smiling excitedly.

Nathan Brooks prudently pulled his arm away from her ever-tightening grip and echoed her smile. He'd never really expected to be a grandfather – Ian had hardly given them much hope, with his difficult and abrasive nature and his utter lack of charm and willingness to engage in small talk – but once he'd become one, he couldn't help but fall completely and entirely into the stereotype of the role. Especially since the twins looked exactly like Ian – who looked exactly like _Maggie_. It was easy to dote on them and try to spoil them. The only hard part was having time with them.

The door was opened by the ever-present Marine guard, and Jacob O'Neill was the first to tumble out of the car. He smiled cheerfully at Nate and Maggie, stuffed full of hamburgers, root beer and french-fries, but made a shushing noise, putting his finger in front of his lips to warn them that someone had had too much excitement for the day and had fallen asleep.

Sure enough, Ian was the next one out of the car, with Nia O'Neill limp and soundly asleep in his arms. He smiled at his parents as well, but knew that the excited look on his mother's face wasn't because of him. He carefully shifted Nia, and moved out of the way so Cassie could get out of the car, too, and she did – carrying one of the twins who was also sound asleep and limp as a rag doll in her arms.

Maggie stepped up – surprising no one – and Cassie easily transferred the sleeping boy into his grandmother's arms.

"Carter," she whispered, telling Maggie who she was getting.

Maggie smiled, and nodded, cradling the sleeping child easily. He looked so much like Ian had at that age!

Cassie reached back into the car and was apparently handed another sleeping child – another one of the twins. Michael hadn't lasted any longer than his brother, apparently, and his mother handed the sleeping boy over to Nathan, who had stepped up to take him.

Nate smiled, looking down at the boy his son had named after him. Granted, Michael was _Ian's_ middle name, too, but if Ian had wanted the boy named after himself he would have named him Junior. At least that was the way _he'd_ looked at it – and would always look at it. It didn't matter that Michael's _middle_ name was Hayden – obviously after River (and Ian and Cassie _never_ would have named one of their sons River Brooks) – and Carter's middle name was Adam. Nate had been _included_, and it made him swell with happiness every time he thought of it. Especially considering the rough start he and Ian had had of things.

Cassie smiled at the look of pride on both grandparents' faces, and shared a tender look with Ian, who rolled his eyes good-naturedly but didn't say anything to avoid waking Nia. She stuck her tongue out at him and reached back into the car a final time and brought out the puppy, who was also asleep.

River emerged from the car last, easily carrying Marissa, who had fallen asleep as well. The Californian grinned at Maggie and Nate, and shifted Marissa into a more secure grip.

"It's good to see you again, sir," he told Nate, and gave Maggie a smile that lit up his vivid blue eyes and almost made her blush before she caught herself. Yes, definitely way too good looking for his own good. And if anything, he was better looking now than he had been at twenty.

"You, too, Major," Nathan said, softly. "Are you staying with us tonight?"

"If you have room, sir."

"We'd love to have you," Maggie told him.

"Where are Daniel and Sally?" Cassie asked.

"Waiting for their daughter in Jack's den," Nate replied.

"Too much to hope Jack's in there, too?" Ian asked.

"He's not," Nathan said, looking down at Jake, who was watching them all chat. "Did you have a good time, kiddo?"

Jake grinned, and nodded.

"We went to the _park_, too."

"Ran their little legs right off them," River confirmed.

Maggie smiled, looking fondly down at the sleeping child in her arms.

"So I see."

"Let's get them someplace they can sleep it off," Nate said, gesturing for the group to move ahead of them. "You go deliver the others and we'll see you back at the house for dinner at seven."

Which meant that he and Maggie had no intention of giving up their grandchildren – even asleep.

Cassie and Ian knew better to even try – and really had no reason to even bother. They both nodded, and headed off with Jake and River beside them – Marissa asleep in River's arms, and Nia still sleeping soundly in her godfather's arms. And one puppy snoring in Cassie's, and drooling just a little.

"You go find Sally and Daniel, and I'll find Sam," Ian said.

Cassie nodded.

OOOOOOOOO

Daniel and Sally were sitting comfortably in Jack's den when River and Cassie joined them with their daughter. Sally smiled and reached over to take Marissa from River.

"I thought you took them out for root beer floats?"

"And burgers," Cassie agreed. "They were wired until we took them to the park."

"How are Jack and Sam?" River asked, knowing that Marissa was asleep and wouldn't be listening in, and getting his first real chance to ask without having any kids around.

"Jack's a mess," Sally said, shaking her head. "No one's really been able to get through to him."

"Or _see_ him, for that matter," Daniel added. He looked at the puppy who had woken up during the walk down the corridors of the White House, but showed no inclination of wanting to be let down – and no sign of being in any kind of duress considering he was three weeks old and away from his mother weeks before he should have been. "Where's Ian?"

"Delivering Jake and Nia to Sam and Jack."

"With_out_ the puppy, I see…"

Cassie shrugged, running her fingers through the puppy's soft fuzz.

"There's a time for everything, Daniel."

"He's never going to accept that puppy…"

She smiled, sadly.

"If all else fails I'll just remind him of the first rule he ever taught me."

Sally frowned.

"What rule is that?"

"To live on Earth, you _have_ to have a dog."


	25. 25

With Jake right beside him, and Nia still sound asleep in his arms, Ian didn't have much trouble getting the Secret Service to let him into the sitting room in the upstairs of the White House. Sam and Jack were there, although Jack still looked positively awful. His face was wan, and tired, and his eyes were red and puffy with a slightly distracted expression, but he looked over as the door opened and Ian was relieved to see that he didn't seem to have any of that wildness that had been there the last time he'd seen him. In fact, he actually managed a smile when Jake rushed over and threw himself into his father's lap before anyone could tell him to stop.

"Hey, Jake…" Jack murmured, holding his son tightly. "How was A&W?"

"We went to the park, too…" Jake told him, but clearly wasn't going to be distracted by the question. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

It was clear he _wasn't_ okay, though, and even Jake didn't look convinced. Sam was quick to step in, though. Jake shouldn't be worrying about his dad, after all. He had enough trouble just being a little boy. She stood up, and took Nia from Ian with a soft smile.

"Why don't we go put Nia to bed, sweetheart?"

Jake clearly didn't want to, but Jack didn't give him the chance to rebel.

"Good idea. I need to speak to Ian for a minute, anyways."

Even Jake knew that was a dismissal. A gentle one, but a definite one. He nodded, and hopped off the couch, following Sam, who glanced back with a worried look before leaving the room.

Jack sighed and leaned back into the sofa, closing his eyes. Obviously he wasn't as okay as he'd been pretending to be while Jake was in the room.

"What's going on, Ian?"

Ian shook his head.

"What do you mean, Jack?"

"I mean, why are you here?"

"To try and help."

"With a _puppy_."

It sounded sarcastic, but Ian knew that it was a lot more than that. There was fear, loneliness and a whole lot of pain in that statement, and he understood completely. Even more than Jack did, really.

"He's your best shot, Jack."

"I don't want another dog."

"But-"

"Teal'c lost Jack."

"I know."

Jack had been killed during an attempt on Teal'c's life. The Jaffa had taken over as leader of the Jaffa resistance years before, and every system lord in the known universe had claimed him as a mortal enemy. Jaffa had been trying to kill him ever since – and one had come very close to succeeding. Only Jack had been quick enough to save Teal'c, and had taken the staff blast that would surely have killed Teal'c.

"And _now_ he has to worry about Trip."

Trip had been a gift from Andrew Stephens. A chocolate lab son of Jack Junior who looked nothing like Jack, but had all the sweetness and courage of the breed.

"He doesn't _worry_ about him."

"How do you know?"

"They were in Atlantis a few months ago."

Jack scowled.

"He didn't tell me he was in the neighborhood. I haven't seen him in almost six months."

"He wasn't _in_ the neighborhood. He came to Atlantis to find out if I or McKay could come up with a way to let the Jaffa utilize those Ancient personal shields."

O'Neill didn't look mollified, but he did lose the scowl, and his own natural curiosity made him ask the obvious question.

"Did you?"

Ian shook his head, sitting down now – although not too close to Jack.

"No. Cassie and Beckett even tried the Ancient gene therapy on a volunteer, but it didn't work."

"I don't _want_ that puppy," Jack said, changing the subject back to the original one. "I can't handle losing Jaffer, and I don't need the same problem in ten years. Give him to Jake."

"He's not _for_ Jake, Jack," Ian told him, his temper close to the edge – despite the fact that he hadn't really expected Jack to want the puppy – and knew everyone else already thought he was fighting a losing battle. "He's for you."

"I don't want him."

"Too bad."

Jack's expression darkened, and he glared at Ian – who privately thought it was better to see him angry than hurting.

"Get out."

Ian didn't bother to pick a fight just then. There really wasn't any reason to – and the results would just cause a lot of injured pride and hurt feelings. Instead he stood up.

"What are you doing for dinner?"

"Nothing. Get out."

"I think I'll see if Sam wants to have dinner with me and the boys."

Despite himself, Jack looked interested.

"Cassie's here?"

Ian nodded.

"She brought the twins. We're going to have dinner with mom and dad. _You're_ invited."

He'd invite Sam, Jake and Nia when he went to see her next.

Jack grunted noncommittally, but Ian didn't press it. He knew Jack would want to see Cassie. He complained all the time about her not being around enough. Instead, he turned and left, going through the same exit Sam had taken with Jake and Nia.

OOOOOOOOOO

Not surprisingly, Sam was waiting for him just outside the nursery – with Jake standing right beside her.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

Ian shrugged.

"He kicked me out."

She frowned, but Ian gave her a wry smile.

"I pretty much goaded him, so it's no big deal." He looked down at Jake, who was watching him mournfully, obviously scared about what was going on with his dad. "You mind if I steal Jake for the rest of the afternoon, Sam?"

Jacob's face lit up immediately, and Sam smiled at the quick change.

"Of course not. No strip joints, though."

Ian chuckled.

"Cassie would kill me long before you got ahold of me."


	26. 26

Cassie and River were still talking to Daniel and Sally when Ian joined them, Jake trotting beside him cheerfully. Daniel smiled, pleased to see that the boy wasn't as heartbroken as he'd been earlier – and knew it was because of Ian.

"Hey, you two. What are you guys up to?"

Jake answered before Ian even had a chance to.

"Ian's borrowing me for the afternoon!"

Daniel looked at Ian, confused.

"Oh?"

The New Yorker leaned against the chair Cassie had been sitting in.

"I figured we'd go do something, since Jake's the only one still awake. You guys want to come?"

Sally smiled as well, amazed at the change in the young man who had been such a pain in the ass when she'd first met him. It was obvious to her that Ian really liked Jake, but taking him out for the afternoon was clearly a way to get him away from the gloomy atmosphere in the White House. Even without Jack being so distant because of losing Jaffer, all the mourners outside were definitely hard to ignore. Especially for a boy as sensitive as she knew Jake to be.

"We're heading back to the hotel," she said. ""But thank you."

"You're coming to dinner tonight?" Cassie asked.

Daniel nodded.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

How often did one get to eat in the formal dining room at the Vice President's residence, after all? Besides, it'd be a good chance to catch up with not only Ian and Cassie, but also with Shawn – who was almost certainly going to be there.

"I get to come with you guys, right?" River asked, looking at Jake.

The boy nodded, excitedly. River was always good company and Jake never saw enough of him – although he did see him more than he saw Ian.

Ian nodded, too.

"We'll need someone for comic relief."

Cassie smiled.

"Do I get to come, or is it men only?"

"We can't leave you here alone," Ian said. "You might find some hot guy to run away with. And where will that leave me and the boys?"

Jake giggled, even though he didn't exactly understand the joke and Ian gave him a silent wink in thanks for the courtesy laugh.

"Besides," River said, catching the good mood. "If you're not around, all the hot mommas will be flirting with Colonel Loser here, and I won't have a chance at getting any phone numbers."

Cassie rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but it was Sally who spoke up.

"Some day you're going to flirt with the wrong woman, and she's going to break your heart…"

River chuckled.

"I have my heart broken several times a day, Sally."

"Let's go get Shawn and get going," Ian told them, reaching down and taking the puppy from Cassie.

"Are you taking him, too?" Daniel asked. "Want us to watch him?"

"Nah, I've got him." Ian had already tucked the little guy against his side, and was holding him easily. "I'd rather he was close by. Just in case."

Just in case what, though, he didn't say – and none of them asked. Daniel and Sally gathered their sleeping daughter, Ian and the others gathered up Shawn – and one Secret Service agent from the detail that was assigned to the President's kids – and left the White House unnoticed and unannounced.

OOOOOOOOOOO

He was sitting right where she'd left him. He looked up when she entered the room, and she was a little relieved to see that he looked annoyed. Like Ian, Sam much preferred a look of annoyance on Jack's face than the lost look she'd seen all too much of recently.

"Where is he?" Jack asked.

She knew immediately he didn't mean Jake.

"They took Jake out for the afternoon."

He scowled.

"They just took him to the _park_."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she came over and sat down.

"Would you rather he sit here and do nothing?"

The scowl faded at the reminder that he wasn't doing his children much good just then. Hot on the tail of that reminder came a wave of guilt at having so little inclination to spend any time with either of them.

"No."

She scooted over and cuddled up against his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"The kids are _fine_, Jack. They know you're hurting, and they understand. We'll get through this."

He put his arm around her, holding her close instead of having her hold him. His chin came to rest of the top of her head, and he sighed.

"I told him to give that puppy to Jake…"

She stiffened a little in his arms, and turned her head up towards him. He shifted a little so she could look at him.

"What did he say?"

"He told me it was for me."

"What did _you_ say?"

"I told him I didn't want it." Before she could ask his reply, he continued. "Then he told me too bad, and I kicked him out."

She nodded, and resumed her position under his chin. It felt good to be held by him – and always had.

"He told me you kicked him out. He didn't say why."

Jack sighed.

"I don't know why he's so anxious to pawn that puppy off on me…"

She didn't answer, and he'd half decided that she probably knew the answer to that question but didn't want to tell him. It annoyed him, but the ache inside was too great to allow anger to take root. It flared and burned out almost immediately, and he searched for something else to talk about besides the unwanted puppy.

"Cassie brought the boys?"

Sam smiled, even though he couldn't see it.

"Yeah. You wouldn't believe how big they are, now…"

He sighed, and closed his eyes, still holding her. He was weary beyond belief, but couldn't understand why. It wasn't like he'd been doing anything strenuous lately. Some times he seemed to barely be able to move. Right now, he was content to stay put, holding her as long as she was willing to be held.

"Maybe I'll see them at dinner…"


	27. 27

_Author's Note: Sorry about the wait on this. I was in Tacoma for a few days visiting my mom!_

OOOOOOOOOOO

It was a very muddy group of people who arrived at the Vice president's residence less than an hour before the prescribed dinner hour. Already warned that they were coming – no one arrived at the residence without the Secret Service knowing, of course – Nathan was standing outside (under a sheltering security carport) waiting for them with a member of his security team standing at a discreet distance and watching everything going on around them.

River was the first one out of the car, his uniform ripped and muddy and a huge grin on his face. He moved out of the way so Cassandra could get out of the car next, and she gave her father-in-law a smile as well, before being joined almost immediately by an equally muddy Shawn, Jacob and Ian. And one very muddy puppy.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" Nate asked, frowning.

"We went and played football in the park," Ian told him.

"In the _mud_!" Jake added, unnecessarily.

Despite the fact that he was incredibly muddy, Nathan reached out and took the puppy from his son.

"And _he_ played, too?"

The puppy wriggled in Nate's arms, splattering him with mud, and Ian took him back to save his father's suit.

"Every chance he had."

Nate just shook his head.

"Maggie's inside with the boys. You'd better change before dinner."

Like any of them would dare come to dinner looking like they did just then. Well, _Jake_ might have, but Nathan looked directly at him just then, probably well aware of that.

"Your mother sent over some clothing for you. Go on in and get cleaned up."

He gestured for the agent who had followed the group out of the car – and was still meticulously clean – and the agent nodded and took Jake inside to help him get cleaned up. More than used to this kind of thing – which didn't mean he really liked it – Jake sighed melodramatically and followed, well aware that he could get away with a lot of things, but showing up dirty at dinner with Nathan and Maggie wasn't one of them.

Nate watched him leave, and then turned to the others.

"How did you guys manage to find so much mud?"

River grinned.

"Apparently they mud the field up at the park just for these games every weekend."

Nate frowned.

"And how did _you_ guys get an invite?"

Cassie smiled.

"River flirted with the right girl – who just happened to be the sister of the captain of one of the teams that were playing."

"She was also the _quarterback_," River told him, smugly. "And drop-dead gorgeous with the longest legs and the-"

"We get it, Casanova," Shawn interrupted. He turned to Nathan. "We wanted to play, and the lady got her brother to let us. They split us up between the two teams."

"Who won?"

"We did," Cassie said, her smile just as smug as River's had been.

"They cheated," Ian said, walking by his father and into the house, the muddy and wet puppy still in his arms.

Cassie's smile broadened.

"Let me guess…" Nate said, unnecessarily. "His team lost?"

River snorted.

"Big time."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Less than an hour later, it was a much cleaner Ian who walked into the main dining room in the Vice President's residence.

"_Daddy!"_

Completely used to being charged by the twins, he was more than ready to catch them both as they threw themselves into his arms. Maggie Brooks smiled warmly at the sight of her only son hugging his own children, and walked over to rescue him.

"Dinner's almost ready, boys. Go see if the maid needs any help."

Just because the staff were there, didn't mean they were servants – and Maggie refused to treat them like they were. That included sending her grandchildren off to help them set the table.

The boys nodded and took off at a trot, and Maggie put her arm comfortably around Ian's waist.

"They're beautiful."

He nodded.

"I know. They look a lot like their _grandma_."

She smiled, and pushed him away, unwilling to be flattered too much. Not to mention the whole _grandma_ thing.

"Go see if they need help. I'm going to make sure everyone else is coming."

"Yes, ma'am."

_He_ knew better than to argue with her, too, after all.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Since most of the people who were coming to dinner were already in the residence it didn't take long to gather them up when it was close to being ready. Dressed in sharply creased uniforms (mainly because they hadn't brought anything else to wear when they'd come) River and Shawn looked sharp. Cassie was dressed in a borrowed dress that was both simple and elegant at the same time, and Ian had taken advantage of the fact that he'd left clothing at the Residence several times in the past few years. He was dressed in slacks and a polo shirt – as were the twins and Jake.

Daniel and Sally arrived with Marissa right on time. They, too, had dressed in semi formal clothing, and Cassie ooohed and awwwwed over Marissa's dress, her smile and a sly glance at Ian telling him quite plainly that she wished _she_ had a little girl to dress up in cute dresses. Ian rolled his eyes with a slight smile in reply, but he didn't say anything.

Jake walked through the door carrying the puppy, who was sound asleep and put into a warm box in the corner where Ian would be able to keep an eye on him. No one asked why Ian wanted him close all the time, but by then everyone over the age of twenty in the room had a pretty good idea. It helped that the puppy was getting bigger, and looked incredibly healthy for a creature that hadn't eaten anything more than a few French fries and a piece of a cheeseburger in the past day.

"Hey, Jake," Nathan said, waving the boy over. "Tell me about this football game today. Ian won't tell me anything…"

Ian scowled, but before any of them could say anything – although River and Shawn both grinned – the butler walked in and cleared his throat importantly. Which drew everyone's attention, of course.

"Ladies and Gentlemen… the President of the United States, the First Lady, _and_ Miss Nia."

Surprised, they all turned from the butler to the doorway he'd just emerged from, and an instant later Jack, Sam and Nia all appeared, clearly having arrived for dinner.


	28. 28

Jake moved quickly over to greet his mom and dad, but everyone else hung back, not wanting to seem too eager. It was good to see Jack on his feet and obviously trying, but it was just as apparent that it _wasn't_ easy. He was pale, drawn, and seemed to have aged at least ten years in the last couple of days.

But he was trying.

With one hand already resting on Nia's shoulder, he put his other on Jake's, giving his son a forced smile that came no where close to reaching his seemingly dead brown eyes. But it was good enough for Jake.

"Cassie's here," they heard him tell his father, and he took Jack's hand and led him over to the group. It was a measure of the boy's insightfulness, really, because Jake knew that Cassie was one of the people most likely to get his father to break out of the somber mood he was trapped in.

Jack refused to meet Ian's gaze as he walked over, but he gave Cassie a true hug, holding her close for a long moment as he greeted her. When he pulled away, almost reluctantly, the hurt in his eyes was replaced by genuine affection.

"Where are the twins?"

"Helping with dinner," Maggie told him, coming over and giving him a hug as well. "It's good to see you, Jack."

His smile was still a little forced, but it was another effort, and no one could fault it. Especially Maggie.

"Thanks for the invitation."

Her smile was warm.

"You're always welcomed here. You know that."

Before he had to try and come up with a response – and right now he really didn't feel up to a lot of small talk – the butler returned to the room and announced that dinner was ready.

OOOOOOOOOO

If you want to have a quiet, formal evening of dining in a formal setting with a lot of inane chatter about things that absolutely don't matter to most people, then never invite children. They don't care about being quiet, they don't really care about the latest review of the newest book, or movie – unless it's a cartoon – or what the anchorman on the news said the night before, or even who Leno was making fun of on the Tonight Show. They want to talk about what they've been doing, who they've been doing it with, and what they want to do the next day. And they _always_ – no matter how polite or well behaved they are – have a comment about the meal being served them.

It wasn't a big surprise, then, that it was a fairly noisy group that sat down to eat. The twins hadn't seen Jack or Sam – _or_ Daniel and Sally, for that matter – for almost six months. The same was true of Nia and Jake, who hadn't seen Ian, Cassie or even Shawn, for almost as long, and they, too, had catching up to do – even though they'd already done some of that over lunch and at the park.

The kids dominated the conversation, which was fine with Jack, who was struggling to make it through what was probably a very fine meal – except that he didn't taste anything he was eating. He was achingly aware of the presence of the puppy sleeping in the box in the corner of the room – even though no one had mentioned it to him. His eyes occasionally wandered that direction; he could just see some black fur rolled into a ball and surrounded by a fuzzy blue blanket, but he'd force himself to look anywhere else, and would try to engage the others in conversation – only to find that after a few minutes he'd be looking back that direction once more.

"What's Kinsey up to lately?" Ian asked, well aware that Jack needed a distraction, and choosing the most annoying topic he could think of.

Sure enough, Jack looked up, surprised at the question for a moment before he scowled.

"He's trying to get enough support to try a run for the Senate…"

Before Ian could reply to that, Nate spoke up.

"You should have shot him when you had the chance."

"Nathan!"

Nate scowled at the reprimand and the admonishing look Maggie shot him. Of course, he _meant_ exactly what he'd said, but he'd allowed himself to speak without thinking of the fact that the kids were all there listening.

"I meant like when you take a _picture_," he corrected, smoothly, winking at the twins, who giggled.

"You think he'll get it?" Shawn asked. "Does he have enough support?"

"Not a chance," Nate said, shaking his head. "Nobody'll touch him with the record he has."

"What record does he have?" Nia asked, curiously. _She_ had just been given a record player for her birthday, and several LPs that her mother had saved from back in the day – and she loved them. While she didn't know who they were talking about, she just knew deep down in her seven-year-old heart that if they were good records, he'd let _her_ listen to them, too.

Jack hesitated, completely unable to follow the inner workings of the seven-year-old mind, but Sam understood immediately.

"_Classical_, sweetie. You wouldn't like them."

"Oh." Nia pouted for a moment, but in typical fashion completely changed the subject. "Can I stay the night here tonight? I want to play with Carter and Mike."

Sam looked at Jack, who told her with a look that he didn't mind.

"I don't see why not – if Maggie doesn't mind."

Maggie smiled.

"Of _course_ you can stay here, baby."

"But she's a _girl_…" Nathan said, in mock distress. "I don't want to get cooties."

Nia giggled; this was a familiar game. She reached out and touched his arm with the tip of her finger.

"Girl cooties."

"_Ack!"_

Even Jack had to smile at that – although he'd seen them do the exact same thing a million times, it never got old. Especially when you considered Nate's background and hard exterior.

Sam looked at Jake.

"Are _you_ staying here, too?"

The boy grinned, excited, and almost choked on the mouthful of mashed potatoes he'd been eating.

"Can I?"

"Sure," Nate told him, still making a show of wiping the cooties off his arm with his napkin. "We'll stay up late, drink some beers and watch dirty movies."

Maggie rolled her eyes, and Sam just shook her head.


	29. 29

Dinner with the kids didn't last nearly as long as it might normally have. The _children_, of course, had little interest in small talk and once they'd finished eating they were anxious to go play. Maggie sent them off to the playroom that had been set up for the twins on the rare occasions they were in town for a visit.

"I can't _believe_ how much they've grown…" Sam said, watching as the children stopped long enough to see if the puppy wanted to come with them. Since he was still sound asleep and no more interested in them at the moment than _they_ were in small talk with their parents, they hurried on out of the room.

Cassie smiled.

"Me, either."

"What _I_ find amazing is how social they are…" Daniel said.

"You mean because their dad is such as incredible _schmuck_?" River asked, smirking at Ian who suddenly scratched his nose with only his middle finger.

Daniel had to smile, since he'd known that River wasn't serious.

"I mean because there are no children their own age to play with."

"The Athosians have some children their age," Cassie said. "We take them to the mainland sometimes for play dates."

"And _other_ times?" Sally asked, curiously.

She'd only been to Atlantis once, after all – despite numerous offers to return – and she was curious about life in the city. Gate travel wasn't something she enjoyed, and she wasn't really all that keen on star travel, either – despite the newest ships that had been built with the newest drives that brilliant minds had been developing that made the trip less than a week, now.

"It depends," Cassie replied. "If Ian's around, they follow him like ducklings, going where he goes and helping him with whatever he'll let them do…" she smiled fondly at him, and he couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"If Ian's not around, and Cassie's busy, there are always other people more than willing to play caretaker," River said. "They hang out with Colonel Sheppard, Elizabeth Weir, the pilots, the Marines, the medics, and even Zelenka and McKay."

Sam's eyebrows rose.

"You let them spend time with _Rodney McKay_?"

Cassie smiled.

"I can't keep them away from him."

"Really?"

Ian nodded.

"They like him. And he's good with them."

"_Rodney_ McKay?" Jack asked, pulling himself from the contemplation of the box over in the corner and his own inner turmoil for a moment over something so unlikely.

"Crazy, huh?" Ian asked.

"But he's such a… jerk."

"Not so much," Cassie disagreed. "At least not with _them_."

Otherwise they'd never let the boys near him.

"People change, Jack," Daniel said – although he never would have thought he'd say that in reference to Rodney McKay.

"Look at _Ian_ here," River said, gesturing to his best friend. "Who'd have thought someone who'd been such a pain in the ass when he was younger could grow up?"

Ian scowled, but Cassie only giggled. It wasn't really said all that nicely, but it was a fairly accurate statement, there was no denying that.

"At least _he_ managed to grow up," Maggie said, pointedly, with an amused gleam in her dark eyes.

"Touché," River said, grinning. He wasn't at all offended, well aware that he was far less settled than most of his friends were. But he liked it that way.

Before anyone could reply, though, a sudden rustling came from the corner of the room and every head turned that direction. The puppy had finally woken up and was starting to move around, looking for a way out of the box.

It was too much for Jack, who'd been on edge even with it sound asleep. He stood up abruptly.

"I should be going."

He didn't wait for a reply from anyone; instead simply turning and leaving, refusing to even look towards the corner.

They all watched him leave, and Daniel sighed, discouraged.

"I guess _that_ answers that, huh?"

Ian shook his head and went over to the corner and picked up the puppy, who started licking his cheek, eagerly. Holding him firmly to keep him from squirming and falling, he walked back over and sat down.

"Don't give up on him, yet, Daniel. There's still time." He turned to Sam. "Got a spare bedroom I can use?"

Her blue eyes were anxious and worried, but she nodded as she stood up.

"I'll set it up as soon as I get back." There was no doubt in anyone's mind she wanted to catch up with Jack, and none of them were offended when she turned toward the door. "I'll be by tomorrow for Nia and Jake."

Maggie nodded, and walked over to her, her arm going around her waist.

"I'll walk you out, Sam."

When both women were gone, Daniel turned to Ian.

"You're killing him, you know? That puppy reminds him of what he's lost every time he looks at it."

Ian nodded.

"That's the whole idea."

OOOOOOOOOO

He was waiting in the car for her, but the black tinting on the window kept her from seeing him. Sam hugged Maggie and forced a smile.

"Thanks for dinner."

Maggie hesitated.

"Sam? Do you want me to talk to Ian? I could get him to leave Jack alone…"

Between her and Cassie, they had a fairly good chance of getting through to him, after all.

Surprisingly, Sam shook her head.

"He's doing what needs to be done. Jack'll understand."

_Eventually_.


	30. 30

Sam slid into bed with a soft, tired sigh, and pressed lightly against Jack's silent form. Proving that he wasn't asleep, he reached over and caressed her hand, bringing it over his stomach into an embrace that he really needed just then.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she murmured.

"You didn't…"

He rolled over towards her, his eyes even darker in the dim light of the room – and still sad and empty, and she cupped his cheek with her palm, her thumb brushing the stubble on his jaw.

"Thank you for coming to dinner…"

"I wanted to see Cassie and the kids."

The answer didn't surprise her, and she was relieved to have something positive to discuss with him after the rough ending to the evening.

"The boys are adorable, aren't they?"

He nodded, but before he could say anything else tears welled up in his eyes and he choked back a sob, pulling away from her. He'd tried, but there wasn't any room in him for anything just then but the emptiness and loss, and even Cassie's children couldn't pull him from that pain now that he was in the dark and thinking about Jaffer.

Sam pulled him close, embracing him with her entire body and giving him all the comfort she could while he silently cried himself to sleep.

OOOOOOOOOO

"So what's the next move?"

Ian sighed, looking over at Cassie who was getting ready for bed. He was already in bed, the puppy cuddled beside him with his little nose resting on his bare stomach, both of them watching as she changed.

"We'll just have to keep doing what we're doing, I guess."

He couldn't really force the puppy down Jack's throat, after all. He just had to make sure he was in the right spot at the right time. Eventually Jack would have to admit that he needed him.

"He looked awful tonight…"

Her voice was scared, as was her expression.

He nodded.

"I know, baby."

He didn't say it, but things were going to get a lot worse before too long if Jack didn't do something.

"Maybe you should have picked a _yellow_ lab," Cassie said, coming over and settling in the bed beside him, with the puppy between them. She didn't even ask why he insisted the little guy sleep with them – any more than she questioned why _they_ were at the White House while the kids were at the Vice President's residence. She knew he had his reasons, _and_ she had her own suspicions. Obviously he wanted the puppy as close to Jack as possible at all times – just in case – but she could also see that Ian was looking a bit washed-out himself while the puppy was thriving.

Which told her all she really needed to know.

Ian shook his head and moved the puppy to his other side, giving Cassie the opportunity to cuddle close to his side, as well – which she did.

"This is the right puppy, Cass. It's just a matter of timing, I guess…"

There was no doubting this was the right puppy, that was certain.

She ran her fingers gently along the old scars that ran across his chest – remnants of his one-sided battle with the mother bear – and rested her head comfortably on his shoulder.

"What do you do if Jack keeps refusing?"

"Have you and Sam gang up on him."

She smiled and shifted a little, reaching over and stroking the puppy's soft muzzle before allowing herself to drift off to sleep. It'd been a long day, after all.

Ian felt her fall asleep beside him and sighed again. Reaching over and easily picking the puppy up one-handed, he rested the little guy on his bare chest so he could get a better look at him.

"You guys better get your shit together," he whispered, softly, looking into the brown eyes. "Jack doesn't have long – and I'm betting Alexander doesn't, either."

Not to mention, he'd spent a lot of energy getting this puppy big enough to be able to survive without his mother – and he'd developed a fondness for him – and he wasn't going to be happy if it died, too. The puppy inched up on him and licked his face, cheerfully, and in self defense Ian brought him back down to his side, feeling an ache of his own. How many times had Jaffer woken him up with that annoyingly long, wet tongue? He cuddled the little guy close, and buried his face in Cassie's hair, but it took him a long time to fall asleep.

OOOOOOOOOO

The room was still and dark. Two people and one puppy sound asleep on the only bed, and the only light coming from a nightlight that was just enough to outline each figure on the bed. Out in the hall, the place was just as quiet. This wasn't an area of the White House that required more than a security camera and a guard at the entrance to the guest area – although there were plenty of Secret Service agents handy if some menace were to show itself.

Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the room lit up a little as a small light came from out of nowhere and settled in a small globe-like ball beside the bed. The puppy woke immediately, his little head coming up and looking over at the light. He rumbled softly deep in his chest – although the sound was a lot more high-pitched than it would be in a few years – and the noise woke the man the puppy had been sleeping beside.

Military trained, Ian was wide-awake when he looked over to see what had drawn the puppy's attention, and stilled immediately, watching.

The light moved silently towards the door, and then paused, obviously waiting for something. As Ian watched, astonished, the puppy jumped awkwardly off the bed, landing with a thump, and then trotted to the door. He turned and looked at Ian as the light hovered above him, illuminating the scene in a faint haze that made it that much more surrealistic.

Realizing belatedly what they were waiting for, Ian slid out of bed and went over to the door, avoiding contact with the light as much as possible as he opened it up. The light and puppy both left the room immediately, and Ian looked out into the hall and watched as the light led the puppy down the corridor and off to the right – in the direction of the Presidential quarters.

Bemused and wondering how they planned on getting through all the security between here and there, Ian returned to his bed and slipped in beside Cassie, who had slept through it all. She woke when he joined her, however, used to having him come into bed at odd hours.

"You okay?" she asked, sleepily, not even opening her eyes.

He nodded and gathered her into his arms, feeling cheerful and optimistic.

"Yeah." He kissed her forehead gently, unwilling to wake her up even though he suddenly wanted some company, and cradled her in his arms instead. "Go back to sleep."

She nodded against his chest and went back to sleep, aware that if something was wrong he'd have woken her and told her.

Ian didn't go back to sleep at all.


	31. 31

"Did you see this article about Broadsword?"

"I never read the newspapers, you know that."

"You _should_."

"It's a bunch of shit."

"_This_ one's pretty interesting…"

"Yeah? Why?"

"Because they've mostly got the facts straight for a change."

The Secret Service agent snorted, derisively.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

The agent who had been reading the paper handed it to him.

"Check it out. It's about Jaffer."

They were talking, but both agents were still very much aware of what was going on around them. It was their _job_ to be aware. If something or someone managed to get past the perimeter guards and protections, these guys were the last line of defense – short of Broadsword and Brilliant taking out the threat themselves. Which wasn't really what POTUS and the First Lady were supposed to have to worry about – although both agents were well aware of the fact that both of their primaries could shoot at least as well as they could.

Despite the fact that they were on guard neither saw the small form that was trotting down the hallway towards them, and neither saw it hesitate at the staircase to the private apartment of the President of the United States. They didn't see the light, either, and it, too, was right in front of them the whole time.

The light drifted silently up the carpeted staircase, and after only another moment of hesitation, the puppy followed, working hard to climb the stairs that it never should have been able to even attempt at his age.

There was another hesitation at the top of the stairs, but only for a moment. The door that led to the place they were going was closed, and they needed a different way in. It only took a minute to find. Through the children's room the light led the puppy, passed the playroom, into the connecting den and then through that in through the small entrance that in the past had been used as a servant's entrance to the master suite. At the moment, it was simply a partially opened door – which was what they needed just then.

The light dimmed as they entered the mostly dark room, but the puppy didn't need it any more. He knew what to do from there. Confidently, he trotted over to the side of the bed, and waited, expectantly, to be noticed.

Nothing happened.

Impatiently, the puppy whined, watching the bed for any sign of life. When nothing happened, he whined again, a little louder and more demanding.

OOOOOOOOOOO

_He'd been having the best dream. Him and Sam were at the park. Jake was just walking, and using a hand on Jaffer's shoulder as a brace to keep from losing his balance as he explored the small area around his parents. The day was sunny and bright, and there wasn't a care in the world for any of them just then._

_Jack smiled, holding Sam's hand as he watched Jaffer and Jake playing. Jake, unsteady, fell with a solid plop to the ground, but it was a soft landing and he giggled. Jaffer turned and looked at Jack and whined._

_Jack's smile faded._

"_What's wrong, Little Man?"_

_The brown eyes looked at him mournfully and the big lab whined again, softly. _

"_Jaffer?"_

The dream ended suddenly, forcing Jack back into reality with a painful snap. A reality that was without Jaffer, which had him as lost as he'd ever felt in his entire life. He never would have believed something could hurt so badly, because he'd thought that he'd faced the worst pain ever when Charlie had died. Even that wasn't as bad as this, however. He closed his eyes again, wishing he'd never woken up.

He heard the whine again, and his eyes snapped open. Staring up at the dark ceiling, he could hear Sam breathing softly and evenly beside him and knew that she hadn't made the noise. He held his breath, waiting, and sure enough, a moment later he heard it again – and this time it sounded impatient.

Rolling on his side, he reached the edge of the bed and looked over the side. A pair of tender brown eyes were looking up at him, watching him expectantly.

Jack felt a pang that reached the very center of his being, but he forced that to the side, annoyed that Ian was trying to force him into something he didn't want. There was no way the puppy had managed to get here on his own, after all. It _had_ to be Ian.

"Go away," he said softly, to avoid waking Sam.

At the sound of his voice the puppy wagged his tail, making a very soft swishing sound as it swept across the carpet repeatedly. He looked up at Jack cheerfully, completely unaware – or unconcerned with – the battle that was waging inside him

The ache in his chest was very real, and Jack wondered if there was something really wrong with him. He was in fine health, but who knew? It'd been a very hard week, after all. He tried to clear the lump out of his throat, but only managed a squeak the next time he spoke.

"I _mean_ it… scoot."

He didn't sound very convincing, apparently, because the little black lab stood up and tried to jump up onto the bed – only to fall back when he missed it by a mile. He landed in a heap, and Jack's breath stopped momentarily until he saw the little guy roll over and regain his footing, looking up at him again, still as cheerful as ever. This time it wasn't a whine, it was a short yip – and it was clearly demanding. He wanted up and it was _Jack's_ job to get him there.

"I don't _want_ you," Jack said, half-heartedly, even as he felt his insides turn into goo as his eyes met the puppy's once more. "Go away."

The tail wagged again and the puppy brought his front feet up against the bed, stretching as far as he could but nowhere near reaching. Those soft eyes were watching him, expectantly, and Jack hesitantly reached down, unable to stop himself. He touched the little black muzzle and felt a shock that made him gasp, and was certain that the entire room lurched.

Taking advantage of his shock, the puppy licked his hand, and Jack couldn't stop the smile that it brought to his face. The first smile in what felt like forever, and a sudden wellness that seemed to be coming from the inside out and taking the place of the horrible ache that had been all he could feel.

He moved his hand under the puppy's belly and picked him up, bringing him against his side, and the little tail thumped against him, excitedly, as the puppy started licking his hand again.

"Stop that," he murmured, pulling his hand away before he could get too slobbered on. He stroked the little guy's side to settle him, and suddenly felt as peaceful as he could ever remember feeling. Something inside him seemed to snap back into place, and he felt a sudden wash of love and acceptance that permeated his entire being.

"Oh, God…"

There was movement beside him as Sam woke and brought her hand over his belly, reaching for him even as she woke up.

"Jack…?"

One hand still touching the puppy – he had to touch him just then, he couldn't help it – Jack reached for her with his free hand.

"It's okay, Sam."

Disturbed by the odd tone in his voice, she woke completely and sat up a little, her eyes worried. The motion caused Jack to shift just a little, which made the puppy move, too. A soft whine from the other side of Jack made Sam reach over and turn on the lamp on her nightstand. Sprawled next to him, his little head resting against Jack's bare side even as he turned to look at her, was the absolute last visitor Sam would have expected to see in their bed just then.

She looked over at Jack, concerned, but he smiled, his brown eyes bright and alive for the first time in days.

"Where did he come from?" she asked.

Jack shrugged; it didn't really matter to him just then. He was just glad he was there. And grateful that she was there to share the moment with him.

"Ian must have brought him in…"

She smiled, wondering what had really happened, and reached over him to pet the puppy. The little tail thumped against the mattress at her touch, and she was already won over. A quick look up told her that he was, too, but she had to make sure.

"You're okay?" she asked.

He nodded, picking the puppy up and setting him between the two of them. That way he didn't have to choose whether to look at one or the other – and he didn't have to worry about his baby falling off the bed.

"I'm fine."

And he actually believed it for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.


	32. 32

They held him between them much in the same way both Jake and then Nia had been cuddled between them on nights when either child had had a bad dream, or when they just wanted the children close to them. Jack's hand was glued to the fuzzy body, while Sam's covered his contentedly. She watched his eyes in the light of the lamp and saw that the agony that had been residing there was gone, replaced by what she could only call relief – and maybe a little wonder.

Ian had been right.

Feeling her gaze, he turned his attention from the puppy to her, and smiled sheepishly.

"He _is_ kinda cute…"

She grinned.

"You don't need to make any excuses, you know? Puppies are _supposed_ to be irresistible. That's their job."

The puppy rumbled as if in agreement, and surged forward to lick Sam's cheek. She moved aside instantly. Puppy breath was pretty close to morning breath, actually, and she didn't want it spread all over her. Jack came to her rescue and pulled him back down between them, flipping him over onto his back for some serious belly rubbing. Sam smiled as the motion put the puppy to sleep almost immediately.

He was a baby, after all, and needed his sleep.

Jack slowed the caresses to hardly anything, and then to a complete stop, although his hand never lost contact with the fuzzy hide. His head sank into the pillow as Sam watched, and his eyes closed – almost as peacefully as the puppy's had. She wasn't surprised when he fell asleep moments later.

He'd had a rough week.

Moving as carefully as she could, she reached over and turned the light off again, and closed her eyes, her fingers resting on her stomach, but the back of her hand brushing against the warm fur of the snoring creature between them. There was nothing left to be done that night, and she didn't think that she'd be able to sleep again so soon.

She was wrong on both counts. Sleep took her almost immediately, and a faint light hovered above the bed – and those sleeping in it – for a long time before it vanished.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_She woke to find herself in a place that had no walls, and so much light that everything around her was incandescent. Looking down, she saw that she was dressed in the clothing she'd worn to bed, but it was as white as the light that seemed to be everywhere – although it didn't hurt her eyes to look at it. The scientist in her was awed by what seemed to be a perfect light, but even as she looked at her hand to see how it affected her own flesh, she suddenly knew she wasn't alone._

_A feeling of love and warmth so profound that it actually took her breath away for a moment abruptly enveloped her, and she turned just in time to see a dark haired man walk towards her, his welcoming smile so sincere that she had to smile, too. He came close, but stopped at arm's length, and she had a feeling that she knew him – like she'd seen him before, although she couldn't imagine where._

_Ever curious – and bold enough to back it up – Sam spoke first._

_"Who are you?"_

_The smile broadened, and Sam was just certain she knew the guy – although she could never have said from where._

_"A friend."_

_The answer wasn't even close to satisfactory._

_"More than that, though?"_

_The dark-haired man nodded, emanating amusement – although it wasn't at her expense and didn't make her defensive._

_"We've known each other a long time, Sam – although it's one-sided for the most part."_

_She frowned as her brilliant mind started making conclusions of its own without her input. Conclusions that made her frown even more. The love that was surrounding her was so familiar, and the eyes watching her mull things over were so cheerful that she couldn't imagine being wrong._

"Jaffer?"

_He grinned._

_"There's a connection, yes. But_ I'm _not the dog."_

_"Then who are you?"_

_"Alexander."_

_Which didn't tell her anything. And he knew it._

_"Shawn's grandfather."_

_Her eyes widened, and she knew her jaw had dropped._

_"You're_ Ancient_?"_

_He nodded._

_"And bonded with Jack."_

_"Like Jaffer?"_

_"Exactly."_

_"Does_ Ian _know?"_

_He hadn't mentioned anyone named Alexander to her when he'd told her about the bond between Jaffer and Jack, after all._

_Alexander nodded again._

_"Yes."_

_"He didn't say anything about-"_

_"_We _prefer it that way, really…"_

_"But you…" she trailed off, a little confused. "_He _knows about you…"_

_It was almost an accusation._

_Alexander laughed._

_"Not by_ choice_, I assure you. If not for that damndable memory of his, he'd never have learned any of it."_

_She frowned._

_"You're telling_ me_, though…"_

_"Because we owe you an apology for what we put you through." Now his voice was serious – as was his expression. "We honestly never meant to hurt you or Jack with this – only to help."_

_There was no doubting the sincerity in his voice or expression – and with the rampant waves of emotion that she could feel coming from him she knew the apology was genuine. And completely unnecessary, really._

_"You_ did _help," she told him. "Not only Jack, but all of us – and in ways that I'm sure you didn't even expect to."_

_She didn't clarify that, but she meant it. If the Ancients hadn't given Ian all their knowledge, he wouldn't have been able to save Jacob when he'd been born so early – and wouldn't have been able to heal Jack or the others the several times that he had. The Ancients might have done some things wrong, but they definitely had made her world that much better – and she'd never require an apology from them for trying to help._

_He seemed to understand, although he didn't actually say anything. Instead, he stepped closer and took her hand._

_"He won't lose_ this _puppy – and you won't lose him. I promise you that."_

_"You're going to make Jack immortal?" she asked, just this side of disbelief. "Can you_ do _that?"_

_He smiled._

_"No. But we'll keep an eye on him for you. We owe him –_ and you _– that much."_

_She wasn't sure what to say to that, so she took a page out of Jack's book and met the solemn promise with humor._

_"I'll hold you to that."_

_Which made him smile._

_"You're assuming you're going to remember this meeting. I can assure you that you won't." He gave her a hug; a warm hug that enveloped her completely. "It was good talking to you."_

_"Will I see you again?"_

_His dark eyes were cheerful._

_"Every day."_

_He let her go, and stepped back, and the light became brighter and brighter until she finally had to close her eyes. When she opened them again, he was gone._

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

A snort woke her, and Sam opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling in their bedroom. She frowned, trying to remember something that seemed very important but which was also beyond her reach. Another snort sounded, and she turned her head – and found the puppy staring at her, his eyes dark in the faint light of the room. Sam smiled, and stroked the soft fur.

"You should go to sleep, Little Man…" she said, softly. "Tomorrow's a big day."

He'd have to be introduced to the world, after all.

The puppy snorted again, but this one was softer, and sounded sleepy. No matter. She was asleep again before he was.


	33. 33

Sam woke first. Not surprisingly, since Jack had had such a hard week and needed the extra rest sleeping in would give him. The puppy, too, was still asleep, softly snoring and drooling slightly on the blankets around him. She watched the two of them cuddling in their sleep for a minute, but decided that she needed to get up rather than lounge around. It was a new day, after all, and the outlook was good now that Jack had rebonded and seemed to be resting much easier than he had been.

She slipped out of bed, not kissing him as she normally would have to avoid waking him up, and headed for the bathroom. Twenty minutes later she was showered, dressed and ready for the day – and Jack and the puppy were both still asleep. Smiling a smile that was mostly relief and thankfulness, she headed out into the corridors, smiling a greeting to the Secret Service agent who was guarding the hallway. The staff had thoughtfully packed away all of Jaffer's things, and Sam knew that not much of it would work with the puppy right then.

Which meant someone would need to go buy puppy food, at least. Or see if Ian had any with him.

OOOOOOOOOO

Cassie was sitting in the breakfast nook relaxing with a cup of coffee when Sam walked in. The younger woman looked up, slightly concerned, but the worried look faded a little when Sam smiled and went over to join her.

"Good morning."

Cassie gestured to the coffee pot, and poured her a cup when she nodded.

"Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

Sam frowned.

"I'm not sure. It seems like I had a dream last night, but I don't remember it…"

Cassie's worried look returned.

"A _bad_ dream?"

Sam shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't remember it. I don't _think_ it was bad, though… I didn't wake up in a panic or anything…"

"Huh. Maybe it's just from being worried about Jack…"

"Maybe." She took an appreciative sip of her coffee, and smiled. "He's doing much better, though, I think."

"Yeah?"

She nodded, deciding that Ian had probably snuck the puppy into their room the night before without telling Cassie he was going to do it – and had probably used Ancient technology to sneak past the Secret Service in the hallway.

"Jack and that puppy had a heart to heart last night…"

Cassie smiled.

"Really? What happened?"

"I'm not sure, exactly. He just ended up in our bedroom some time in the middle of the night – and when I woke up, Jack was putting him into bed with us."

Cassie made an awwwwing sound, and Sam grinned.

"They're still asleep?"

"Yes. I was wondering if Ian had any puppy food – or if I'm going to have to go get some."

"He doesn't have any that I know of," Cassie said, shaking her head. "I haven't seen him feed it anything but a bite of his cheeseburger."

Sam frowned.

"He doesn't look like he's starving…"

"I know." She looked around, and shrugged. "If I were to guess, I'd say he's been taking care of him the _other_ way. Shawn tells me that that puppy is only three and a half weeks old."

"He can't be. He's as big as Jaffer was when Jack got him – and that was at almost eight weeks."

Cassie shrugged.

"I'm just telling you what Shawn told me yesterday. He'd know better than anyone, right?"

Which, of course, Sam had to admit was true.

"Where's Ian?" she asked, figuring to just go to the source and ask him directly.

"Still asleep."

Which was odd, since he was usually up before she was – even when he wasn't working. Another thing that led her to believe Ian was spending some energy elsewhere –and almost certainly on the puppy.

Sam looked thoughtful, almost as if she was thinking about going and waking him up, but then shrugged.

"Want to go to the store with me?"

"Sure."

So what if she was the First Lady of the United States and someone else would almost certainly be willing to run the errand for her. There was an entire staff employed at the White House to keep her from needing to do the little things like this, after all. Sam, however, _liked_ doing the little things when she could – and Cassie knew it.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

They met Shawn and River on their way out the back entrance. The two men were coming in from a morning run and were sweaty and cheerful – and maybe a little out of breath.

"Where are you two going?" River asked, wiping his face with a towel.

"Shopping. Want to come?"

"Shopping with a _woman_?" Shawn said, eyes widening in mock terror. "Not on your life."

"We're just getting a couple of things," Cassie told him.

River snorted.

"_No_ woman goes shopping and just gets a couple of things, Cassie."

"And no _man_ can shop with them without ending up carrying all their purchases," Shawn added. "I think I'd much rather spend my day bothering your ill-mannered husband."

"I'm going to tell Gina you said that."

"She won't mind of I annoy Ian."

"That's not the part I'm talking about."

Shawn chuckled, and he and River headed inside while Cassie and Sam were joined by a couple of agents in plain-looking clothing who would try to blend in with them as they shopped and be as unobtrusive as possible while still protecting Brilliant.

They'd probably end up carrying bags, too.


	34. 34

_Author's note: Since I've had several reviews and emails asking about and commenting about this being the end of the Camper's series, I thought I'd address it really quick. I was pretty much thinking you guys must be getting burned out on this series by now (and I wanted to do a future story), but I'm not above being talked into writing other stories for this series. I admit I had originally planned to end this at Scions, so it's gone even longer than I intended. No promises, though!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

While Sam and Cassie were leaving for shopping, River and Shawn had already decided where to find their next source of entertainment. Finding out where Ian and Cassie were being put up was easy with Secret Service agents around, and the two soon found themselves slipping through the door of the bedroom quietly.

They could have ridden in on elephants for all the difference it would have made. Ian was sound asleep, sprawled on his belly and cuddled up to his pillow.

River smirked.

"Isn't that precious?"

Shawn couldn't help but smile.

"Who'd believe this is the same guy that has everyone in Atlantis so intimidated…"

"Not _everyone_," River corrected. "Just the ones that he yells at. _And_ the ones that he glares at… _and_ the-"

"Is there something you guys _needed_?"

Shawn grinned. He should have known that they weren't going to be able to sneak up on Ian. Not even if he was asleep. After all, Shawn would never have allowed someone to sneak up on him.

"We're looking for comic relief." River told him.

"Check in your pants."

Shawn snorted, amused, and River flipped Ian the bird – even though the New Yorker hadn't even opened his eyes, yet.

"What are you going to do today?" River asked, coming over to the bed, snagging the pillow from Cassie's side and whacking Ian with it.

Ian opened his eyes, then, and scowled.

"Be careful, you dumb fuck. You'll hurt him."

Not at all hurt by the insult, River frowned.

"Who?"

Ian started looking around himself, under the blankets and then leaning over and looking under the bed.

"What are you looking for?" Shawn asked, curiously.

Ian sat up again and frowned.

"Nothing…"

River was the first to figure it out.

"Where's the puppy?"

Which of course made Shawn look around as well. He hadn't noticed the little guy was gone – and now that he had, he knew that he hadn't seen him with Cassie and Sam.

"I'm not exactly positive," Ian admitted.

"What?!" Shawn couldn't help the exasperation in his voice. "You _lost_ him?"

Ian scowled.

"I didn't _lose_ him, Adams," he said, getting out of bed and reaching for a pair of pants. "I'm just not positive where he is."

"That sounds a whole bunch like _lost_ to me, Ian," Shawn told him. "Gina's going to kill me – _and you_."

"Relax, Shawn," Ian told him. "He's not lost."

"I don't see how-"

"There are a million cameras in this place. I'm sure the Secret Service guys can help us figure out where he is."

Shawn hesitated, thinking that over and realizing that Ian was right. While he still wasn't happy that Ian hadn't kept track of the puppy like he'd promised Gina he would, he was pretty sure that the little guy wasn't completely lost. Not with so many people around.

"Let's go, then."

"Let me finished getting dressed, for shit's sake."

Ian wasn't going to tell him about the Ancient, or the fact that he himself had let the puppy out of the room. He knew that Shawn wouldn't be so annoyed if he did – or maybe he would – but it was a cinch that he wasn't going to tell anyone that a _light_ had led the puppy out of his room to go find Jack.

Which was the best place to start, come to think of it.

"Let's go find Jack."

"What?" Shawn's scowl deepened – making him look even more like Jack than he normally did. "We need to go find that _puppy_, Ian, not go bother Jack."

"Besides, from what I've seen, _you're_ probably the last person he wants to see right now," River added.

Ian shrugged, and pulled on a shirt and slipped his feet into his shoes.

"Let's go."

He headed out the room, not bothering to make sure they were following. For that matter, it didn't matter if they did or not, really. He wanted to see what had happened during the night with the puppy – and to make sure he actually had made it to Jack's room.

River exchanged looks with Shawn, who sighed, and the two of them followed.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Agent Garcia…"

The Secret Service agent Ian called looked surprised at being called by name. He walked over to the three men who had just entered the room – although technically he didn't have to if he didn't want to. He wasn't there to do what they wanted, after all. But since one of the men was the son of the President, and the other the son of the Vice President, it wasn't such a bad idea to make himself useful – as long as they weren't going to try to send him for coffee or something.

"Can I help you, Colonel Brooks?"

"Is the President still in bed?"

Why bother going to look if they didn't have to?

Garcia frowned at the question, but figured that POTUS wouldn't mind that particular information being given out. He spoke softly into his radio, and listened to the answer in his earpiece.

"POTUS is in the rear kitchen. Would you like someone to show you the-"

"We know where it is," Ian interrupted, heading for the end of the corridor.

"Thanks," Shawn said, nodding to Garcia as he and River followed once more.

The agent scowled at being dismissed by Brooks so casually, but knew from stories that others had told of encounters with him that he'd probably gotten off easy.

OOOOOOOOOO

There was a small group of kitchen staff standing at the entrance of the rear kitchen when the three of them reached it, and all three of them frowned.

"Is that _whistling_?" Shawn asked, softly.

Ian nodded.

"Sounds like it."

"What's going on?" River asked one of the staff.

She turned and smiled.

"Look."

The crowd moved a little to the side and Ian, Shawn and River all crowded into the doorway to see what was going on. And stood there staring.

Jack O'Neill was standing at the main counter, a cutting board in front of him, whistling as he mixed together an odd concoction of what looked to be raw hamburger, shredded cheese and a couple of eggs. Sitting on the counter just to the side of the cutting board, the black puppy was watching intently, his tail wagging idly.

"What's this?" Shawn asked, breaking the silence – and hoping he wouldn't startle the puppy into falling off the counter.

Jack looked up, surprised. He obviously hadn't even noticed the audience – and all of them saw that the sorrow in his eyes seemed to be gone.

"_We're_ making _breakfast_," he said, clearly trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, although his eyes gleamed with good humor.

Ian frowned, walking in and moving over to the counter to look down at the mess.

"_You're_ going to eat that?" he asked, absently petting the puppy's fuzzy neck.

Jack grinned.

"Not me. _Murray_."

The puppy looked up at him, rumbling cheerfully and wagging his tail even harder.


	35. 35

Shawn's smile was broad – both in relief that Jack seemed to be okay, now, and at the name he'd given to the puppy.

"Murray, huh?" he asked, reaching over and picking the little guy off the counter. "That's _perfect_."

The puppy squirmed in his arms, his eyes never leaving the feast Jack had been making him, but Shawn was an expert at holding squirming puppies, and Murray wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

Jack nodded and gestured for River to hand him a bowl so he could transfer the mixture off the cutting board into it.

"I thought it was appropriate."

"So you've decided to keep him?"

Jack shrugged, wiping his hands off and taking the puppy back. Murray licked his face, eagerly, making Jack smile.

"He didn't give me a lot of choice," he told him, wryly. Then he glanced at Ian, and scowled. "Neither did you…"

Ian was hardly cowed by the scowl.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"I don't get it," River said, interrupting before Jack could reply. "What does the name mean?"

Shawn smiled.

"Jack, Teal'c and Andrew Stephens were caught in an avalanche a long time ago when we were kids. They pretty much kept him alive through it until the rescuers arrived, and to thank them Andrew's parents gave them each a lab puppy. Teal'c being unimaginative, named his puppy after Jack, and Jack – to get even, I assume – named his after Teal'c in the best way he could."

"Jaffer," River guessed, grinning.

Shawn nodded.

"It's a play on _Jaffa_, obviously."

"Obviously," Jack said, cuddling Murray to ease the ache of discussing his lost Jaffer. "So, since I named _Jaffer_ after Teal'c, there's no way I couldn't name this one after him, too."

River frowned, looking completely confused.

_"Murray?"_

"It's the name Teal'c used to go by when he was out in the general public pretending to be a normal human," Shawn explained.

"Ah."

"It's kind of one of those you had to have been there things," Jack said. "But it's a good name, trust me."

"You're the President," River said, shrugging.

"That's right, I am. Now get out of my kitchen so I can feed my dog in peace."

OOOOOOOOOOO

"So it looks like he's going to be okay, huh?"

Ian nodded.

"Looks that way."

"That'll take a load off of Sam's mind…"

"That's the whole idea."

He hadn't been the one to make up the plan, only the one who'd had to do all the flying – and the convincing – so he wasn't going to take credit for it working. Not when there was very little that he'd actually done besides actually putting Murray in a place where Jack couldn't ignore him. And even that hadn't worked until the Ancients had stepped in and finished the thing. But he was just as relieved as he knew Sam would be.

"We should go celebrate," Shawn said, not at all put off by Ian's shortness. He was beyond used to it, after all. "How about breakfast? I'll buy."

"Sounds good to me," River told him, never one to pass up a free meal – and a chance to find a waitress to flirt with.

Both of them looked at Ian, who shook his head.

"I'm going for a run."

"What? Why?"

"Because he's getting fat," River said, pointing at Ian's stomach – which was far from flabby. "Look at those love handles. It's a wonder there's room for him and Cassie in the same bed. Pretty soon he'll be the only one to fit in Atlantis, and probably-"

"I need the exercise," Ian interrupted before River could really get going. "You guys could come."

It was an invitation that very few people would have been given. Ian preferred to run alone, and everyone who knew him knew it.

Shawn shook his head with a wry smile.

"We already ran this morning."

"But I'll be thinking of you while I'm eating a double order of pancakes," River added.

Ian snorted.

"Thanks."

It couldn't have been more sarcastic if he'd tried, and his friends were both laughing as they left him alone in the corridor.

OOOOOOOO

He'd left Atlantis with only the clothes on his back. And had left Colorado Springs with just that – and Murray. Luckily, Cassandra Brooks was far better at thinking ahead than her sometimes seemingly impetuous husband, because when she arrived from Atlantis with the twins in tow, she'd also had the foresight to bring some clothing for Ian.

Which included a couple of pairs of sweats – and his running shoes.

He went to their room and changed quickly, stretching a little as he did so to keep from having to do it later. There weren't a lot of running tracks in the White House, but the place was built on a park so Ian knew he'd be able to simply run the perimeter. Even better, it was a secured perimeter, so as long as he kept out of sight of the fences, he wouldn't have to worry about being pestered by people.

Especially the press – who he knew were just itching to get a chance to ask him a million personal questions – both about him and most likely about Jack – and Ian hated them more than pretty much anything. He told a Secret Service agent where he was planning on going and what he was going to do – although his outfit had pretty much given that away anyways – and the agent simply nodded. Ian wasn't a Primary, and didn't need protection, so the Secret Service didn't feel the need to follow him. The place was secure, besides, so they knew no one was going to bother him – and knew that if something did come up, Ian himself was well capable of handling it.

He stretched a bit more as he walked outside, and looked around the park to decide where he would run. There were a lot of trees with several open areas among them and even better they were places that even nosy people with telephoto lenses on their cameras wouldn't be able to penetrate. Which was exactly what he had in mind just then. The business with Jack had taken a toll on him – although he'd never admit it to anyone – and getting the puppy beyond the stages where he needed his mother had been almost as exhausting. He was going to run for a while, and then go back to bed until Cassie or the twins needed him for something.

As limber as he was ever going to be, he started off at an easy trot towards the poplar grove, admiring the way they were planted in a circle around a small clearing and wondering which president had decided to do it that way. He'd run through the poplar grove and head for the small stream that he knew was on the other side of the birch trees that grew in a straight line from one side of the park to the other. After that he'd probably turn around and head back to the House and get a snack before going back to bed. And definitely a shower, since he was already starting to warm up and sweat.

With his route set into his mind – never to be forgotten – he allowed his thoughts to drift a little as he got into the rhythm of running. He'd have to see if Cassie wanted to stop off and see Gina for an extended stay before they headed back to Atlantis – and he wanted to see if she minded taking a road trip to get back to Colorado. He could make the drive in less than two days and then he wouldn't have to fly back. He'd take some s for that from Hayden and probably Shawn, but it would be worth it to avoid the flight – no matter how short.

He had just started to plan a route to Colorado in his mind when he veered through the poplar grove and sped up a little. Only to collide into something that was large, and invisible. His momentum caused him to crash to the ground, hard, but he was unconscious before he even landed.


	36. 36

Sam was as easily recognizable in D.C. as Jack. However most people expected that when the First Lady was going to go out and bout in public she was going to be in a limo with a huge contingent of guards in dark suits and sunglasses and serious expressions carrying machine guns and leading vicious guard dogs. Not simply shopping with another woman – one who wasn't as easily recognizable and was fairly nondescript.- and followed at a discreet distance by two guys who were watching everything around them but still avoiding getting in the way when the could.

It wasn't something Sam did very often but she was thoroughly enjoying herself, her good mood facilitated by the fact that Jack had made a breakthrough with the puppy. She wondered what he was going to name him.

"How about this one, Sam?"

Cassie held up a gorgeous summer dress that would highlight her eyes wonderfully, and Sam smiled.

"It's perfect. But when would you have a chance to wear it?"

She shrugged.

"I'd find a good time."

There wasn't a lot of downtime for her and Ian together on Atlantis – usually one had it or the other so they could be with the boys – but she was pretty sure if she asked him he'd take her and the boys to the mainland for a picnic or something on some nice day.

"Then you should definitely get it" Sam told her. "It's-"

She was interrupted b the arrival of one of the Secret Service agents who had been shadowing them. The young man had come up behind her while she and Cassie had been discussing the dress and lightly touched her arm.

"Excuse me Ma'am…"

His expression was serious, but they always wore serious expressions she'd noticed.

"_Sam_, Carl… how many times do I have to remind you?"

"Yes Ma'am. We need to go..."

She frowned.

"Why?"

He glanced at Cassie, and lowered his voice so only the three of them could hear.

"Colonel Brooks has just been taken to Walter Reed."

"Walter Reed?" Cassie repeated, concerned – and justifiably so, since she was well aware that Walter Reed was the hospital of choice when there was a medical emergency in the White house. "What happened?"

"It looks like a jogging accident" the agent relied, just a little evasively. Since Sam and Cassie both knew they were cleared to hear whatever it might be, that meant it was something he didn't want to chance having someone _else_ overhear – despite his precautions to not have anyone eavesdrop.

"Is it serious?" Sam asked.

"We're not sure, yet."

Which meant worse than a broken leg but not so deadly as a gunshot or something.

"Let's go."

They hurriedly paid for their purchases and got into the station wagon that was brought around to the front of the department store. As soon as the doors were closed, both women looked over to the agent, who gave them a more detailed report.

"Colonel Brooks apparently ran into the cloaked Gateship while he was out jogging."

"What?"

"How could he not know where it was parked?" Sam asked. "No one _told_ him?"

"We never got around to it," the agent admitted with a defensive shrug. It wasn't _their_ fault that Brooks had the bad luck to run into the one clearing that was hiding the ship Major Hayden had flown in on, was it?

"Is he okay?" Cassie asked.

"They were just getting him to the hospital when they gave us the call."

"We're going there now?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Does the Vice President know?" Sam asked.

"Someone will tell them."

Cassie frowned.

"I don't want the boys upset…"

The agent nodded.

"They'll be careful who listens in, Ma'am."

"Good."

Her tone clearly said that they'd _better_ be.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

There was a lot of security around the hospital when they arrived. Even more than usual for a military facility. Cassie and Sam both wondered why until they were ushered into the waiting room and found Jack sitting there with his puppy tucked under one arm.

"Is he okay?" Cassie asked, coming over as he stood up at her approach.

He shrugged.

"Probably. He just hit his head pretty hard – and he's got a _hard_ head."

"Where's Shawn?" Sam asked, reaching over and scratching the puppy's ears. The little guy squirmed in Jack's arm until he finally had to hand him over to Sam to keep from dropping him. Which was fine, really, because then he could put a supporting arm around Cassie, who looked like she could use it.

"He's off somewhere with Hayden."

And since neither of them required protection from the Secret Service while they were in town, neither would have an agent with them to tell them what had happened.

Cassie frowned.

"I'm going to go check on Ian."

Since she had done her schooling at Johns Hopkin and her first two years of residency at this very hospital, there was very little chance that the staff would tell her to get lost – and Cassie was just as stubborn as her mother had ever been, so even if they _did_ try chances were she'd still find out what she wanted to know.

"Tell us what you find out," Jack said sitting down again. It was pretty obvious that while he was concerned, he wasn't worried enough to go barging in on the doctors himself – which told Cassie that it probably wasn't all that serious. But she needed to know for herself.

"I will."

She swept by the agents that were guarding the waiting room and Sam smiled.

"She's a lot like her mother…"

Jack nodded.

"I can't believe Ian still wanted to marry her..."

Sam snorted, amused, and held the puppy up to get a better look at him. He watched her with his cheerful brown eyes, and tried to lick her face.

"What are you going to name him?"

Jack smiled.

_"Murray."_

"That's perfect."

"I know."

She handed Murray back to Jack and settled in beside him, more than willing to just be close to him as they waited. Jack transferred the puppy to his other arm and held her close, equally glad for the moment – despite how it had come about.


	37. 37

The first thing Colonel Ian Brooks was aware of when he woke was pain. A throbbing aching pain that seemed to go from the top of his head all the way down to the pit of his stomach. It wasn't unbearable, but it wasn't pleasant, either, and it had been enough to wake him from the fitful blackness that had enveloped him.

The second thing that he was aware of was the fact that there were two forms pressing against him one on either side of him. Warm and right up against him he was reminded – even through the distracting pain in his head – of how many times he'd been woken up from some kind of injury with Jaffer on one side of him and Jack (the dog) on the other. It was with an entirely different kind of pain that he remembered that both of those wonderful dogs were now gone, never to wake him up again or comfort him while he slept.

"He's waking up…" A voice said softly from the right side.

"How do you know that?" This voice was on the left, and now Ian had the identities of the two people who were flanking him.

"The machine is beeping faster. _That_ means that he's starting to wake up."

"Who told you that?"

"Carson."

_"Really?"_

"Yeah."

There was a momentary silence, but Ian knew it wouldn't last long. Sure enough, a moment later the voice on the left spoke up in a stage whisper that was obviously designed to wake him up.

_"Daddy?"_

He opened his eyes and found Carter was leaning over him, dark eyes watching him expectantly. The boy smiled when Ian opened his eyes, and cuddled closer to him, now that he didn't have to worry about waking him up. Michael, too, cuddled close on the other side, effectively pinning Ian to the bed – which was fine since he didn't really have any intention of going anywhere as badly as his head was hurting.

"What happened?" he asked, closing his eyes again, but shifting so he could put an arm around each of them. He hadn't missed the concern in their expressions.

"You ran into the Gateship," Michael told him.

"It was _cloaked_," Carter added.

He frowned.

"Where's your mother?"

"With Uncle Jack and Aunt Sam."

"_And_ Grandma and Grandpa," Michael added. "_And_ River and Shawn – _and Murray_."

He remembered waking up once before to the sound of Cassie's voice – and a cool hand brushing against his forehead and cheeks.

"What did your mom say?" he asked.

"She yelled at River for not telling you where the-"

"About _me_" Ian interrupted.

"That you have a concussion, but you didn't seem to have suffered any damage to your sub-cranial layer and that there's a fracture, but it isn't serious."

"_And_ they'd have to watch out for any swelling in the anterior section of your brain – just in case there was something the CT scan missed."

"Nothing about keeping me in bed?"

The boys were both cursed with the same memory that he himself had – although it _did_ come in handy at times. If Cassie had mentioned anything about him staying in bed within hearing, they'd remember it.

"_We're_ here to keep you in bed," Carter told him. "Mommy says you can't get up until _she_ says so."

_"No matter what_," Michael added with all the authority of a four-year-old acting on his mother's orders.

Ian sighed, but he really didn't feel like getting up, anyways. He'd really been fishing for information about how long he was supposed to stay in bed – which would tell him how serious the headache really was. The fact that it _hurt_ didn't tell him anything.

Before he could interrogate them further about it, though, the door opened and Cassie walked in. She smiled when she saw that he was awake, and her smile grew when she saw the way the boys were holding him down by cuddling close. Just like she'd told them to.

"Awake I see…"

He started to nod, but thought better of it at the last second.

"Yeah."

"How's the head?"

She came over as she asked, and ran her fingers gently along his forehead. Ian was aware for the first time that there was a bandage there.

"You tell me," he said, closing his eyes at the ache, but more than willing to submit to her touch.

She withdrew her hand at the telltale sign of pain.

"You have a concussion, but there doesn't appear to be any sign of-"

"I've already heard _that_ part," Ian interrupted.

Cassie looked over at the boys who gave her twin looks of innocence. Looks she didn't buy for a minute.

"You should be okay. It's just a nasty crack on the skull."

"When can I get out of bed?"

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Do you _want_ to get out of bed?"

"Not really… I was just curious."

"Maybe tomorrow. We'll see."

"I was hoping it'd be-"

"Until then, you should see this," Cassie interrupted, knowing he was going to try and talk her into letting him out of bed earlier than that – and unwilling to do it. She reached over Carter and took the remote control to the TV off the bedside table and turned on the TV.

He started to scowl, well aware that she was trying to distract him and not ready to have any of that, but a glance at the TV showed that Jack was giving a press conference, with Murray tucked under his arm and looking at the cameras cheerfully. The puppy was obviously not shy.

_"My family and I want to thank you all for the love and kindness you've shown us in these last few days. It's been pretty rough on all of us – especially me – and your thoughts and prayers were a comfort to us all…"_

Ian was pretty sure that Jack hadn't even been aware of the crowds outside the White House – although he knew that Sam had been, so it wasn't a total fake out.

_"As many of you know Colonel Ian Brooks is in town. No, there's nothing to be worried about. He was just bringing me a present."_ He held Murray up a little more so the cameras could get a better angle at him. _"This is Jaffer's grandson, Murray, and the newest member of our family."_

Cassie smiled, turning off the TV before the interview was over, and reaching out to take Ian's hand.

"They left out a _lot_ of the speech," she told him, "But he went on to thank everyone for all the offers of puppies and dogs and cats and all sorts of cards and letters."

Which was fine with Ian. He didn't feel like watching the entire speech, anyways. He closed his eyes again and leaned back against the pillows, the boys cuddling as close as they could – which reminded him of how Jaffer and Jack used to hog the bed, too.

"Do you want me to take them?" Cassie asked him, well aware of the way the boys liked to steal as much bed as possible. She was also aware of the fact that the painkillers he was on were going to make him sleepy, and he wasn't going to stay awake long. It was intentional.

Sure enough, he couldn't even open his eyes. His hands tightened on the boys, though, and his head shook just a little.

"Nah. If they want to stay they can…"

The boys grinned, flopping their heads down on their father's belly and chest and getting comfortable. They'd probably even nap if they were kept quiet enough – although Cassie wasn't going to count on that.

"I'll come get them in a while…" she said, more to them than to Ian – which was just as well, since he'd already fallen asleep again.


	38. 38

_He felt him long before he spoke. A gentle Presence with the potential to be overwhelming if gone unchecked, and a friendliness and affection that Ian knew so well. It wasn't exactly the same; the link had been with Jaffer and now was with the new dog – Murray, if he recalled the name he'd seen Jack give in the news conference (and of course, he did) – but the over all feeling was the same and when he spoke the voice was identical._

"_Thank you…"_

_Ian opened his eyes, not at all surprised to find himself in a big empty white space. His headache was gone – which was a good thing in a room that was nothing but light. In front of him was Alexander; dark-haired and handsome, but looking just a little haggard. A state Ian had never seen him in before._

"_For what?"_

"_Helping with Jack and the puppy. And _me_."_

_Ian shrugged, uncertain what to say._

"_How are you doing?"_

"_A lot better, now. Thanks to you."_

_Ian snorted._

"_You guys didn't really give me a lot of_ choice_, you know? 'Help us or Jack dies.'"_

_Alexander gave him a slightly sheepish smile._

"_It won't happen again."_

"_You're_ sure _of that?"_

"_We're going to take certain steps to _make_ sure. But we need your help."_

_Ian rolled his eyes, but found that he wasn't really all that annoyed by that. He probably should have expected it – and maybe he _had_, subconsciously._

"_What do you need me to do?"_

"_Introduce _me_ to Jack…"_

_Both of them turned as another voice spoke up, and Ian was surprised to see Chelani standing beside him. He hadn't expected that. Subconsciously or otherwise._

"You_?" he asked, frowning. "Why?"_

_The young Ancient smiled._

"_I'm going to become his body guard."_

"_And Murray's," Alexander added._

"_What? That's crazy."_

"_It's actually a_ very _good idea," Chelani said, shrugging. "If something happens, I'll be right there to take care of Jack, or Murray – or even_ Sam_, if needed."_

_The last was well calculated, and Ian knew he'd been ambushed. Alexander knew how Ian felt about Sam – he had to after so many years bonded to Jaffer – and knew there wasn't anything Ian wouldn't do to keep her from being hurt, physically or emotionally. But he was a far cry from the boy he'd once been – and wasn't about to jump through their hoops._

"_The Secret Service aren't going to let you close to Jack," he said. "You don't have any background – and they're going to want to check that first thing."_

_Chelani wasn't concerned._

"_You can talk to Sam and Jack. Have them make me one. Or have Jack talk to the Secret Service about allowing me access. They have to do what he says, right?"_

"_To a point."_

"_There you go."_

"_It's not that easy, you guys," Ian told them. "We can't have an alien running around following Jack. The press would go nuts – and they'd swarm him even more than they do now. Not to mention, they'll be all over_ you _and you wouldn't be able to do a good job anyways."_

"_So we don't tell them I'm an alien," Chelani told him reasonably. "_Teal'c _lived on this planet for years without giving away his true nature, and I don't have any outwards signs that I would need to hide."_

_Such as a large gold seal on his forehead, or a symbiote pouch._

"_We don't have any ulterior motive in this, Ian," Alexander told him, knowing that was fairly suspicious by nature, and the offer was simply too good to be completely altruistic. "We just want to give back to Jack and Sam for all they've endured."_

"_It's the best thing we could think of," Chelani added. "And the only way to guarantee the health of the puppy – and Jack."_

_Ian scowled, but had to admit – privately – that he really liked the idea of a full time Ancient bodyguard for Jack. Especially an Ancient, since that meant instant healing for almost any injury and personal shielding if there was any threat that they had to worry about._

"_You'll have to come up with a different name…" he said, finally, unable to think of any more arguments. "Chelani isn't exactly a normal one, and we'd want you to blend in as much as possible…"_

_The younger Ancient smiled._

"_How about_ Ian_?"_

_Which earned him another scowl._

"_How about something else?"_

_Chelani laughed._

"_I'll come up with something…"_

"_You do that."_

_Ian would figure out who to talk to about getting the guy a real background. Maybe his dad would have a contact who could make one up – and keep his mouth shut about it. His dad would know who he could trust._

"_What of_ you_, Ian Brooks?" Alexander asked, drawing Ian out of his thoughts._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_You have saved both of us, now. What reward would you seek? If we can give it to you, we will."_

_Surprised by the offer, Ian scowled._

"_I don't need anything."_

_He_ had _everything he wanted. And more, really._

_Alexander smiled, but didn't press the issue, and Chelani shrugged._

"_So you'll introduce me to Jack?"_

_Ian hesitated, but then nodded._

"_I'll introduce you to_ Sam_, first. She'll want to meet you anyways."_

_He'd told her and Jack both the story of Anubis and the young Ancient/Human hybrid that he'd taken as a host. Sam would be interested in meeting him. Jack probably wouldn't care one way or the other. As long as Chelani didn't make a nuisance of himself._

"_I look forward to it."_

"_Don't get too excited," Ian warned him. "I've got to get out of bed, first, and Cassie isn't going to let that happen any time soon…"_

_Chelani smiled._

"_I'll take care of that."_

OOOOOOOOOOOO

A light in the room woke Carter Brooks from a nap that he really didn't _need_ all that much anyways. At first he thought it was his mother, coming to get him and his brother so they could leave his daddy alone to get more rest, but when he rubbed his eyes he saw that the light wasn't a light bulb or anything, it was coming from out of nowhere, and just hovering.

Awed, but not afraid – he was snuggled next to his _daddy_, after all, and nothing could hurt him with his daddy close by – he watched as the light moved noiselessly to the bed. It came right over him, but carefully didn't touch him as it sank down over Ian. Carter sat up, but before he could say or do anything the light simply vanished.

"Wow…"

That was something you didn't see every day, after all. Even if you lived in Atlantis.


	39. 39

Cassie frowned when she returned to his room to find her husband sitting up in bed looking refreshed and playing a tickle game with Michael and Carter that entailed a lot of giggling and wrestling. A game that should have been killing him considering how badly he'd hit his head in his jogging accident. He smiled when she opened the door, though, and caught Carter just as he was about to tumble off the bed – evidence that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his reflexes or his coordination.

"Feeling better?" she asked with no small amount of sarcasm and asperity. She didn't like her patients acting odd – and it was even worse when it was him.

He smiled despite her tone and nodded.

"Much."

"The _light_ healed him," Carter told her, grinning excitedly at having a story to tell.

She frowned again as she came over and sat on the edge of the bed, automatically reaching for Michael, who cuddled against her more than readily. Both boys were always more than willing to cuddle when they had the chance, probably because despite their best efforts, Ian and Cassie were frequently busy with their duties in Atlantis and didn't always have time to spend with them. Or it could have been that both boys were well aware of just how dangerous things could be sometimes – their mother was an emergency doctor, after all, and they had very good memories – so they wanted to get all the loving they could in case something happened.

"What light?" she asked, pushing a lock of hair out of Michael's eyes.

"The one that made Daddy better," Carter replied. "I saw it."

She looked at Ian, who shook his head.

"I didn't see it, but I can't see why he'd make it up."

"I'm not," Carter insisted. "I saw it!"

"I know, big man," Ian told him, ruffling his hair. "Don't worry about it."

Cassie wasn't stupid. She knew that lights didn't normally heal people, but thanks to Ian, she knew a fair amount about the Ancients – and knew they were really the only answer in this instance.

"Was it Ancients?" she asked him.

"_An_ Ancient," Ian corrected. "Probably."

She looked at the boys, realizing that they were most likely the reason Ian wasn't being more forthcoming; he well knew that they wouldn't forget the conversation, and he didn't want them to hear more than they needed to. And rightly so.

"River's outside waiting to take you guys to dinner," she said. "Why don't you go find him?"

Since he was standing in the hallway right outside the door, that wasn't going to be difficult.

The twins nodded and both slid off the bed. They knew they were being kicked out of the room just when the conversation was going to start getting interesting, but neither minded. _They_ didn't find the Ancients all that interesting (they lived in Atlantis and had been surrounded by Ancient technology their entire lives) and they were definitely more interested in getting something to eat than listening in. Especially since it was River and they could probably talk him into taking them to A&W again.

As soon as they were gone Cassie turned her full attention to Ian.

"What happened?"

"Chelani paid me a visit," he told her immediately. She knew who he was, of course, since she knew well the story of Anubis – and she knew that he'd been the Ancient who had called Ian back to Earth to take care of things when Jack lost Jaffer.

"What did he want?"

Ian shook his head.

"You're never going to believe it…"

He couldn't tell her _everything_, of course, but it wouldn't hurt her to know some of it – and it wouldn't break the promise to Alexander if he explained the part about the Ancients wanting a hand in protecting Jack. If he became difficult about the whole thing, Cassie would be useful to help convince him, after all.

OOOOOOOOOO

Sam frowned.

"They _what_?"

Cassie smiled.

"They want you guys to let them assign _Jack_ an Ancient bodyguard."

"Why would they want to do that?"

She couldn't help but be suspicious. It wasn't really her nature, but she was military trained and that was something that came with the territory. Especially when it came to aliens.

"Ian says it's because they're worried about something happening to Jack."

From the way Cassie said it, Sam was pretty sure that there was more to it than that – or maybe that was all Ian had told Cassie – but she suspected there was more to it. Either way, it told Sam all she needed to know, really. This was how the Ancients would keep the promise Ian had given her. They'd protect Jack – and presumably Murray – and she and Jack would never have to go through the hell they'd just been through. The only problem was… how were they going to get _Jack_ to agree to it without telling him the real reason behind it…?

"He looks like a regular person?" Sam asked Cassie, dubiously.

Cassie had to shrug; she'd come to talk to Sam rather than allow Ian out of bed just then. Ancient healing or not, she wanted to be sure of his health before she let him out of her immediate care, well aware that he'd never go back willingly – even if his head started hurting so bad it was threatening to fall off.

"I'm not sure. Carter said he saw a light. That'd be when they're ascended, right?"

"From what I understand, yes."

Ian had explained all that to all of them.

"Well, he can't guard him as a light, can he?"

"I suppose he _could_," Sam told her. "He wouldn't have to, though, they can take a corporeal form."

Cassie nodded. That was how _she_ understood it, as well.

"So you're thinking you're okay with the idea…?"

"Of course I am…" Sam told her, smiling wryly. "Why wouldn't I be?" It'd protect Jack, and she was all for that. "But tell me that _I'm_ not the one who has to suggest it to him?"

Cassie laughed.

"No. Ian will, he said. He just wanted to make sure you were behind the idea before he brought it up – and he wants _you_ to meet Chelani to see if _you_ think Jack will go for it…"


	40. 40

Sam was sitting in the living room – the upstairs living room that was one of the few private places in the White House – reading a book with Nia, when there was a light tap on the door and Ian stuck his head in the room.

"Can I come in?"

She smiled, but it was Nia who jumped off the couch and ran over to the door.

_"Ian!"_

She was a lot like a puppy, he decided as he grabbed her up and hugged her closely. Always happy to see him and always enthusiastic. Of course, she had very few _chances_ to see him, so it was understandable, really.

"Hey, sweetheart," he told her with a soft smile that would have amazed anyone who knew him when he was the angry young man he'd once been. "How's my best girl?"

"Good." She frowned, looking over his shoulder at the strange man who was standing beside him – hidden by the door until that moment. "Who's that?"

"This is my friend…" he said, introducing Chelani._ "Jim."_

Nia gave Chelani a wide grin.

"Hi, Jim."

She _was_ the President's daughter, after all, and very social anyways.

Chelani smiled; she was irresistible, even to him.

"Hello."

The new voice had Sam on her feet and walking over to the door as well. She knew that there was really only one stranger that Ian would be bringing by to introduce, and she was interested in meeting him.

Chelani smiled a greeting to her as well, but she noticed it was a little shy. Which was endearing. He was also not exactly what she'd expected. Sure, she knew that Shawn was half human and half Ancient and looked perfectly normal – and so had Dotty – but she'd somehow expected Chelani to look a little more… _alien_. After all, he'd been the nastiest system lord to hit the Goa'uld in some time – right up until he'd managed to ascend. She'd expected something a little more off-kilter.

Chelani – or Jim, as he had apparently decided to call himself – was about 6 foot tall with a slim, lanky build and brown hair and perfectly normal gray eyes. Nothing too crazy there. In fact, he'd blend in fairly well, really. Which might have been the whole idea. Especially since she knew (thanks to Ian) that once he'd returned to corporeal form from being ascended he could pretty much pick what he wanted to look like.

Ian made the introductions, even though he knew Sam had heard when he'd introduced Chelani to Nia.

"Sam, this is Jim. Jim, this is Sam – or Mrs. O'Neill."

"_Sam_," Sam told him, quickly, reaching out and taking his hand. "Please come in, won't you?"

Chelani nodded, with another shy smile.

"Thank you."

"Is he from _Atlantis_?" Nia asked, curiously, as Ian closed the door behind them and set her down so she could resume her place on the couch.

"Nah. He's _been_ there, though. He's someone I met a while back – way before you were born."

"Before _Jake_ was born?"

"Not _that_ long ago."

"Oh."

A little annoyed by that – with the typical little sister reasoning that she should know everyone Jake did – Nia frowned.

"He's going to be watching your dad," Ian told her, not at all worried by the frown. "He knew Chelani could win over Nia and Jake fairly easily. They were good kids, after all, and loved to make friends.

Predictably, Nia brightened.

"Really?"

Sam nodded.

"As long as daddy is okay with it."

"He _will_ be, though, right?"

Obviously Nia had already decided she liked Chelani, and wanted to keep him.

Sam, however, wouldn't give her a definite yes. She wasn't one to make a promise she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep.

"We'll see. Ian is going to have a talk with him. Why don't you go play, now? Mommy wants a chance to talk to Jim, for a bit, though. We'll finish the book later."

Nia nodded and hugged Ian tightly, then graced Chelani with a smile and ran out the door, where she'd be met by the secret service agent who doubled as nanny to her when her parents were occupied.

When she was gone, Sam turned to Chelani, who had watched Nia. Aware of her gaze, the Ancient turned back to her.

"She's a lovely child."

Which was exactly the right way to start any conversation with Sam, who smiled automatically.

"Thank you."

"Is Jacob as outgoing?"

Sam nodded.

"And very bright, so mind what you say round him, please…"

"Of course. I assume you're not going to tell them my true nature?"

"Right. We're not going to tell anyone we don't have to – including the Secret Service." She looked at Ian. "Did you get him a background?"

He nodded.

"It was almost scary how easy it was."

"So what is it?"

"Born in Sioux City, Iowa, grad-"

"Kind of fitting," Sam interrupted with a smile.

Ian echoed that smile.

"I thought so, too." It was where he'd crashed the Gateship, after all, on the day he'd helped Chelani escape from Anubis. "Anyways, he went to Iowa State, graduated in the top ten percent, went into the military, honorably discharged five years ago, went into private ventures, joined us in Atlantis to explore the possibility of sending endangered creatures to planets in the Pegasus galaxy to hopefully find more environments to replace what they're losing – which we've _actually_ looked into, so it's a feasible cover."

"Why is he _here_, though?"

Chelani smiled.

"Because I'm using my friendship with Ian to meet his friend the President, and hopefully get a good political ally when it comes time to find funding for my dream of transplanting the endangered creatures of your – I mean, _our_ – planet…"

"And by the time he should be gone, he'll be firmly entrenched as a member of the White House – and when you and Jack leave here, he'll just go with you and find some other way to make himself useful…"

"And no one will probably look twice at that…"

Ian nodded.

"Exactly."

She shrugged.

"It's as good as anything I can think of," she told him. "Is that what you're going to tell Jack?"

Ian hesitated.

"More or less…"


	41. 41

"Oh, Jack… he's _adorable_…"

Monica Ray took the puppy from his arms with a smile, and held the little guy up so she could get a better look at him. Murray wagged his tail excitedly, not at all concerned at being held by someone he didn't know, and tried to lick her face.

Jack smiled, too, both at the antics of his puppy and at the praise. There was just a trace of sadness in the smile, though, as he remembered that Monica had said something along the same lines when she'd first seen Jaffer when he was pretty much the same age.

"Thanks."

"He's Jasmine's?" she asked as she settled Murray down on the examination table – and held him down as he wriggled.

Jack nodded.

"Yeah."

"Which means champion bloodlines…"

He smiled.

"He's just a dog."

She knew better, though. And even more, he knew that she knew better. She could see it reflected in his expression, and in the cheerfulness of his smile. Jack might not care about Murray's bloodlines – aside from the fact that he was Jaffer's grandson – but he wasn't _just_ a dog to him, and never would be.

She turned her attention to the puppy.

"About eight weeks old?"

Jack shrugged.

"No clue. Should I call Shawn and ask?"

She shook her head.

"We'll give him his first shots today and go from there."

Jack nodded his agreement and watched as she started giving his little man his first check up. The first of many, undoubtedly, if he was anything like his grandpa had been. As he started to feel that familiar ache of loss at the thought of Jaffer, Murray turned his head and caught Jack's eye, his brown gaze cheerful and filled with love. The look was so familiar that Jack actually had to choke down a sob – a sob that had nothing to do with sadness and everything to do with knowing that his baby wasn't really gone. Not as long as Murray was there.

Monica looked up, concerned, but before Jack could tell her he was fine, there was a diffident knock on the door, and Monica's receptionist poked her head into the little room.

"Mr. President? Your wife is on the phone, sir."

"Thank you."

"Take it in my office, Jack," Monica told him, pointing in the right direction with her free hand. He didn't need directions, of course, but he nodded and left the room. Which was just as well, since he didn't want to see her stab his baby with a needle anyways. Picking up the phone, he hit the line one button.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Are you busy?"

"Just making out with Monica…"

Sam chuckled.

"When you're done there, stop by and see Ian, will you?"

He frowned, even though she couldn't see it.

"Why...?"

"Because he came by here looking for you."

"Was it important?"

"Yes."

And it was just as obvious that she wasn't going to tell him what it was about. However, her voice was light and cheerful, so it wasn't bad news, most likely.

"I'll stop by and see him."

"Good. See you later."

"I love you."

He knew she was smiling by the slight pause before she replied. And by the change in her voice.

"I love you, too."

She hung up, and he did the same.

"Everything okay?" Monica asked as Jack walked back into the exam room.

"Sam says we can't make out any more…"

She chuckled, and handed him his puppy.

"Call me if you need anything."

"I will, Monica. Thanks."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was late in the evening when Jack finally returned to the White House. There had been several things he'd needed to catch up on, things Nate had taken care of for him while he'd been so out of it, and he needed to know what had been done and what still needed to be done. He was tired by the time his day was done, and only at the last minute remembered Sam's message.

Exhaustion and curiosity warred with each other for a moment, but really he knew whatever it was couldn't really wait. If it could, Sam wouldn't have called him in the first place. Instead of turning towards his own suite – and Sam – he headed down the hall to the suite that Ian and Cassie had been put into.

It was Cassie who answered the soft knock, and she smiled when she saw him – and the puppy he was still carrying in his arms.

"Does he even know _how_ to walk?" she asked, not at all annoyed at the visit – even at the late hour.

Jack smiled.

"You've never had a lab puppy Cass. The _minute_ I set him down, he's going to start getting into trouble. It's easier this way…"

Since he was right about her not having a puppy of that breed, she had to concede the point. Besides, she'd heard plenty of the stories of when Jaffer had been a puppy. If Murray was anything like his grandpa had been…

"I guess there is a lot of expensive stuff around here that they wouldn't appreciate being chewed on…"

He nodded.

"_Exactly_. Is Ian here?"

"Yep."

He waited. And waited some more when she didn't say anything else, merely standing at the doorway with a mischievous expression. He rolled his eyes.

"Can I _talk_ to him?"

"Can I hold Murray?"

"I don't know… I'm not sure I want him to get whippersnapper cooties…"

Cassie laughed and took the puppy from Jack, cuddling him and cooing over him.

"Ian's in on the couch."

She stepped aside so Jack could go into the room but didn't make any move to join him and close the door.

"You're not sticking around?"

She shook her head, still cuddling Murray – who was lapping up the attention gleefully.

"We're going to the _kitchen_ to get a snack. Aren't we, baby?" she added, rubbing the puppy's nose with her own.

Murray licked her cheerfully. He'd take a snack!

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving because I've arrived?" Jack asked her.

She smiled, not at all repentant.

"Because I am. We'll be back soon."

With that, she left, walking down the corridor and completely ignoring everything but the puppy in her arms.


	42. 42

Jack walked into the suite and found Ian exactly where Cassie had said he would be. He was typing something into a laptop – either a borrowed one, or one that Cassie had brought him when she'd arrived.

"Hey."

The New Yorker looked up, but didn't seem at all surprised to see him there.

"Hi, Jack."

Jack hesitated, giving Ian a chance to say something else, but he just turned back to his laptop.

"Are the boys in bed?"

Ian smiled, but didn't look up.

"They're over at mom's again."

"How's the head?"

_Now_ he finally scowled and looked up. Jack noticed that there wasn't even a bruise on his forehead, and wondered where he'd hit it.

"Fine."

Jack couldn't help but smile. He almost wished he were going back to Atlantis with Ian, because really, the story was a good one, and would be fun to tell Weir and Sheppard. And there was no way in hell _Ian_ was going to offer the story up to anyone without having them pull some teeth first.

"It's not every day someone runs headlong into a parked Gateship."

Which didn't make Ian any more cheerful, of course.

"If _someone_ would tell everyone else where he _parked_ his invisible spaceship…"

"I'll have them put up a sign next time," Jack promised.

"Thanks."

The reply was about as sarcastic as they came, but O'Neill didn't mind at all. As President, he was always surrounded by people who were respectful and helpful and it drove him crazy sometimes. Ian was refreshing.

But it was late, and there was another reason he was here. One that he wanted to know about as soon as possible.

"Sam said you wanted to see me."

Ian accepted the change of topic as readily as Jack had done the changing.

"Yeah."

"Any particular reason?"

Ian nodded, but he didn't answer right away. Instead, he closed down the file he'd been working on and put the laptop to the side. Out of the way.

To Jack it seemed like a hesitation, and he frowned.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be _ambushed_?"

"You're not," Ian told him. "I'm just trying to figure out the best way to say what I want to say."

"Is it bad news?"

"No. But I'm not sure how you'll react to it."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, impatiently.

"Try me."

"I've been in contact with the Ancients."

Which was a million miles from anything that Jack might have thought was coming. His frown deepened.

"Something going on with them that we need to know about?"

"Not like you think there might be."

Jack lost his patience at the pace of this questioning.

"So what is it, Colonel? Out with it."

Use of Ian's rank was strictly to remind him that Jack wasn't going to put up with a lot of runaround on this issue – whatever it was the issue was. Ian, of course, wasn't cowed in the least.

"You know the Ancients have an interest in you, right?"

"Yeah. _Why_ is that, by the way?"

"Mostly because of Shawn, I think."

"Shawn's a _grownup_, now," Jack said. "If they want to talk to him, they don't need to ask me permission."

"_This_ has nothing to do with Shawn, Jack," Ian told him, bluntly. "The Ancients want to assign you someone to keep you safe."

Jack frowned. He hadn't expected that, either.

"I _have_ someone. It's the Secret Service."

"Presidents have been assassinated before – even _with_ the Secret Service there," Ian reminded him.

"Do they know of some kind of plot against me?"

"Of course not."

"Then why are they so interested in saving my ass, now?"

""Because they don't want you and Sam to go through what you just went through when you lost Jaffer."

"What?"

"The Ancients _owe_ you," Ian reminded him. "They owe you big time, and they know it. To that end, they want to make sure that you never lose Murray – _or_ Sam. The best way – in their thinking – to do that is to make sure nothing can get to you."

"And that means they want to send me a bodyguard?" Jack asked, sarcastically.

Ian nodded.

"Although I don't want to use that term, because we don't want the Secret Service to even know what he's there for – unless something actually came up."

"I can't think of another term for someone who follows you around and jumps in front of bullets for you," Jack said. And again, he was sarcastic – although it was a gentler version this time.

"There are a lot of people who follow you around, Jack. They're not _all_ bodyguards."

"I have enough bodyguards."

"One Ancient is worth the entire Secret Service detail that watches you now."

"Yeah? Tell that to them."

Ian shook his head.

"I'm not telling you to lose the Secret Service guys, Jack. Just add one more guy to your entourage."

"Sam knows about this?" he asked, suddenly.

Ian nodded.

"And what does _she_ think?"

"She told me I had to talk to you about it – but I think she's all for you having someone like that around you all the time. Not to mention, she'll have a chance to talk with someone about the Ancient technology. God knows I'm never here to do it."

"There's Daniel."

"I could send Rodney McKay," Ian retorted.

"_That's_ not funny."

"Just think about it, Jack," Ian told him. "The Ancients have the technology to keep you guys safe, and we already have a pretty good cover for the guy they want to send."

"I don't want another bodyguard, damn it."

"Then make friends with him and have another drinking buddy."

"Cute."

Ian shrugged.

"It's not a bad idea, Jack."

"It's not a great idea, either."

"Sure it is. He'd have the technology to keep Sam safe, Nia and Jake safe, _and_ keep you safe."

Jack was getting exasperated, but Ian knew that was only because he didn't like the thought of someone else hovering over him. He also knew that using Jake, Nia and Sam like that would get Jack thinking about it a little more than if he'd only mentioned Jack himself.

"You could at least meet him…" Ian suggested.

A long day under his belt, Jack wasn't looking forward to meeting anyone – especially an alien. Not that he didn't like aliens; he just didn't like aliens he didn't like.

"Let me think about it."

It was more of a concession than Ian had expected, really, so he nodded.

"Sleep on it and let me know in the morning."

"Are they on a timetable?" he asked, sarcastically.

"No, but _I_ am. I need to get back to Atlantis."

Jack almost snapped at him and told him to go, but he didn't. For one thing, he was actually hoping that he and Ian might have a chance to spend a little time together before he left – they just hadn't had time thus far – and for another, he was well aware that Ian (and the others) was here because of him. In his hour of need, so to speak, his friends had all rallied around him and Ian especially had brought him the one thing he'd needed – even though he hadn't known of the need himself.

Instead, he bit back his annoyance and nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning."

Ian nodded, too, and he looked a little relieved.

"Let's do breakfast."

Obviously, he too, wanted to spend some time with Jack.

"Sounds good."

He turned and left without another word, but only because there wasn't really anything left to say – and he had a bit to think about.

But first he had to go pry Murray away from Cassie – and then convince the puppy to leave the kitchen.


	43. 43

_Author's note: Sorry about the wait on this one, guys, and sorry that it seems short but I had the perfect place to end it and didn't want to mess it up by stretching it out any longer... More tomorrow I hope!_

OOOOOOOOOOO

Sam was in bed by the time Jack gathered Murray from Cassie and then stopped in to check on both Jacob and Nia to make sure they were settled for the night. She was still awake, however, and proved it by turning on the light when he opened the door.

"Did I wake you?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"I was waiting for you."

Had he not had quite so much on his mind, his answering grin would have been positively naughty, and his comment would have been very suggestive. As it was, he still smiled, but sat down on the bed with a sigh.

"I've been talking with Ian."

"Yeah?"

"About the Ancient thing…"

She nodded.

"He wanted to discuss it with you, I know."

"That kid's out of his mind."

"He's _thirty_, you know?"

Jack scowled. Ian would always be the temperamental young man he'd been when Jack had first met him. No matter how old he got – or how brilliant everyone else thought he was.

"He's still out of his mind."

"What did he tell you?"

"That the Ancients want to give me a bodyguard."

She was somewhat surprised that Ian had actually gone with the truth when discussing Chelani with Jack. She'd pretty much expected him to just sneak him in as a friend of his or something to give him time to get used to the guy before springing anything else on him – assuming he ever did. Or maybe Ian just figured that Jack should know – or would find out before he was told.

Or maybe he _was_ out of his mind.

"And what did you tell him?"

Jack scowled, knowing she was far more interested than she was sounding.

"That I'd _sleep_ on it."

"You're not completely against the idea?" she asked, surprised he hadn't said no straight off the bat.

"I'm _mostly_ against the idea…"

"But…?"

"But I like the thought of having the extra protection for you and the kids."

"The extra protection isn't _for_ me and the kids, Jack," she told him. "It's for you. We have the Secret Service."

"So do I."

"But you're more important than-"

"Don't _ever_ say that," he interrupted with a serious frown. "It's not true. You're-"

"Jack." It was her turn to interrupt, and she reached over and took Murray from him, cuddling him against her and adroitly avoiding the squirming licks he was trying to give her. "Chelani is going to be here to protect _you_. When Murray here gets bigger, he can be trained to keep an eye on us."

As if he understood, Murray looked over at Jack and gave a soft yip – sounding completely in agreement. Jack didn't lose his frown, though.

"Chelani?"

"That's his name. Although Ian says he's going to go by Jim."

"What kind of name is that?"

"Jim? It's short for several different-"

"_Chelani_," Jack interrupted, rolling his eyes since he knew she was just screwing with him, now.

She grinned.

"What did he tell you about Chelani?"

"Just that he's an Ancient…"

Jack hadn't really asked all that much, had he?

"He's a bit more than that…"

"What do you mean?"

She hesitated, and then shrugged.

"Are you meeting them in the morning?"

"I'm meeting Ian. He didn't say anything about anyone else…"

At least he couldn't remember him saying anything else.

"Then I'll let him tell you about Chelani – or even Chelani himself could. You might find it interesting."

She knew who he was once Ian had mentioned his name. Ian had, of course, told her all about Anubis and the time on the Goa'uld ship, and Sam was hoping the Ancient would be willing to talk to her about some of his experiences. Not the parts that were awful, of course, but he must have had an interesting life before Anubis showed up to turn it upside down. And _afterwards_, too, considering he'd been ascended. She couldn't even imagine what that had been like – and how he'd managed to come back to a regular form.

"What do you know that I don't?" Jack asked, scowling again.

"Pfffft…" Sam rolled her eyes, amused. "_Tons_ of things. I know that if a tri-dimensional wormhole were ever opened up, it'd have a secondary wormhole open without a terminus simply because-"

"Gah!" He held up his hand in defeat and stood up. It wasn't what he'd meant, of course, but it was apparent she didn't want to discuss Chelani. And he wasn't going to press the issue. Especially since they were both in such good spirits after such a terrible time for them. He wasn't going to start an argument when he didn't need to.

"Where are you going?" she asked, curiously, half deciding that he was going to go find Ian again.

"I'm going to go take a shower," he told her, starting to undress and leaving a trail of clothing as he walked toward the bathroom. "Want to join me?"

This last was said with a naughty glance over his shoulder as he vanished into the bathroom, and Sam watched the door, stroking Murray's ears idly. A moment later she heard the shower turn on, and with a soft smile set the little lab down on the bed and headed for the bathroom.


	44. 44

Ian and Cassie had breakfast at the Vice Presidential Residence with Nate, Maggie and their boys. It was a slightly formal affair in that they were seated at a very formal table and the house staff pretty much refused to let them serve themselves. Of course, part of that was because the twins were irresistible to the mostly female staff, and it only got worse when they smiled and showed off dimples – the one thing that really set them apart from their father who didn't have any.

This was where Sam and Jack found them, and Nate was quick to invite them to eat – which they accepted with smiles. Sam was given a spot beside Carter, who was well aware that he was named for her and pretty much worshiped her in any event. Jack sat across from Nathan, who frowned when he got a good look at him.

"Did you get any sleep last night? You look like shit."

Jack shrugged.

"Not as much as I might have preferred," he admitted. "_Somebody_ chewed up our pillows and comforter and we spent several hours cleaning up feathers."

It was pretty obvious that the someone in question was Murray, since he'd given the little lab puppy a look when he said it. Murray completely ignored the look, fairly well distracted by the overwhelming smell of bacon and sausage coming from the table. Jack held him firmly, though, despite his squirming, and then handed him over to one of the staff who said he'd give him something to eat and take care of him while they ate.

Cassie frowned.

"He chewed up your bedding while you were sleeping in it?" she asked, wondering how they could have slept through that. _Especially_ the pillows.

Sam flushed slightly.

"We weren't there…"

Nate gave them a knowing, sly smile.

"Which makes one wonder what you two were doing that would distract you so…"

"They were probably having sex," Michael said, grabbing for a piece of toast.

"In the living room," Carter added, equally unaware of the sudden silence in the room as all adults stared at them and Ian and Cassie both winced slightly.

Sam's blush deepened, but she chuckled as Jack looked over at Ian and Cassie.

"What are you _teaching_ these guys?" he asked, shaking his head in mock disbelief.

"Not that," Ian replied scowling at the reproachful look his mother shot at him. "We made the mistake of asking Ford to watch them one day and he had to have some of his buddies watch them when he was called in for a briefing. The Marines thought it'd be funny to load the boys with all sorts of information."

"Not realizing that they wouldn't forget it," Cassie added.

Sam shook her head.

"That's terrible."

Ian shrugged.

"It would be funny if it had been other kids with less potent memories. We're pretty sure they don't even understand what they're talking about, though, so it could be worse."

"We understand," Carter said, proving that he was listening in on the conversation. "It's about _sex_."

"Yeah," Michael added, aware enough of his father's moods and expressions to know that they weren't pushing their luck on this. Ian was more amused than anything, and his sons both knew it. "And people _doing_ it."

"Doing what?" Ian asked.

"_It_," Carter replied.

"What's it?"

Both boys gave identical shrugs, and returned to their meal, while the adults exchanged looks that varied in amusement. Maggie didn't really think it was that funny, but she'd had to deal with Ian when he'd been that age and had had the same steel trap memory, so there wasn't much she could say.

"I hope you showed the Marines that did it the error of their ways," Nathan told Ian.

"Of course."

Jack looked at Cassie, more than ready to change the subject from sex.

"Do you mind if I borrow Ian for a while this morning?"

She shook her head with a smile.

"Maggie and I are taking the boys shopping."

"Do I get an invitation?" Sam asked. "Nia and Jake could use some new clothes."

It was always more fun to shop for your kids than have the staff do it – and it would give her a chance to spend some time with her own offspring as well as spend some time with Cassie and see what was new with them.

"Of course," Maggie said with a bright smile. "We were going to invite you."

Jack looked at Nate.

"What are _you_ doing today?"

The Vice President scowled.

"I'm on my way to Turkey – as _you_ well know, since it was your dumb idea to send me there."

Jack frowned.

"That conference is this week?"

Nate nodded.

"I leave at 10 am."

"I thought it was next week…"

Of course, he'd pretty much lost track of everything that had been going on that week, so it probably wasn't that surprising.

"Don't worry about it, Jack," Ian said, leaning back in his chair with a gleam in his eyes that told those that knew him best that something smart-assed was on its way. "They say that the memory is one of the first things to go. In your case I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did."

Jack gave him a look that didn't freeze him now any more than it had when he was twenty.

"Just meet me back at the House at 9:00, okay? And don't bring that Chelani guy."

He wasn't ready to meet him just yet.

Ian nodded.

"Can I bring Shawn and River?"

"That'd be nice."


	45. 45

"I thought we were going to look for women?"

Shawn grinned and shook his head.

"Aren't there women on Atlantis?"

"There _are_," Ian said. "And all of them are too smart for Mr. Getyououtofyourclothesassoonaspossible."

Shawn chuckled, and River rolled his eyes – but noticeably didn't deny it. They _had_ planned on a movie or something. Not really because there was anything playing that any of them really wanted to see, just a way for them to spend some time together. True, Ian and River were on Atlantis together, but River was usually ferrying mission teams here and there, while Ian was almost exclusively working with training. They rarely had downtime together, and when they did, River was usually looking for a date, and Ian was almost always with his wife and children.

The invitation from Jack for them to join him was probably just as good as a movie. Even better, really. Even if they didn't know what it was they were going to be doing. Whatever it was, it couldn't be that bad. It wasn't like Jack enjoyed gardening or playing lawn darts.

Shawn shook his head, amazed.

"Some day you're going to break the wrong heart, and some huge big brother is going to come looking for you with a baseball bat."

"I've never broken a heart," River told him, smiling – although he was serious. He was always very careful to make sure that the women he chased were well aware that he wasn't interested in anything more than a fling. A _long_ fling, sometimes, but nothing permanent. He was a horn dog, but he wasn't a bastard.

"Good thing, too," Ian said. "I'd hate to have to explain to your mother why pieces of you were littered all over Pegasus."

Shawn chuckled, but before he could say anything, they'd reached the first of the checkpoints to the White House, and were busy clearing security.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Jack's choice of recreation for their morning wasn't really much of a surprise. He and the boys – even though they were all three grown men now, he couldn't help but think of them as boys – invaded his personal armory and headed for a nearby shooting range.

It wasn't just them, of course. The Secret Service went, one of Jack's personal aides was put in charge of Murray to keep him out of mischief and a bevy of press people followed the group – although they weren't allowed to get close enough to even shout questions – which was fine with Ian, especially.

The manager of the gun club that owned the shooting range, a retired Marine drill instructor that everyone simply called Gunny, met Jack at the door with a salute. Jack retuned it with a grin, and then offered his hand, plainly telling the boys that he knew the man well.

"How many times do I have to tell you that that isn't _necessary_, Gunny?"

The Gunny smiled.

"Maybe not to you, sir."

It was clear that they'd had this conversation several times before and Jack turned to the others.

"Gunny, I'd like you to meet my son, Shawn – that's Adams, by the way – and Major River Hayden and Colonel Ian Brooks."

He'd introduced them in the closest order, since Shawn had been walking right beside him and Ian had predictably hung back.

The man offered Shawn his hand with a welcoming smile.

"I've heard a lot about you…" he said. "Despite the formality of the introduction, your dad talks about you all the time. I'm glad to finally meet you."

"Thank you, sir," Shawn said with a smile of his own, not at all surprised that Jack had managed to find a gun club that was owned by someone he would be able to fit in with best. This guy looked like nothing intimidated him – including having the President of the United States hanging out with you.

"Not _sir_, Colonel," he corrected. "_Gunny_."

Shawn nodded his acceptance of that, and Gunny offered his hand to River, next.

"Major."

River's smile was as bright as the sun itself as he shook hands. There were no strangers in River's world.

"Gunny, it's a pleasure."

"Thank you, Major."

"_River_," he corrected.

Gunny nodded much the same way Shawn had, and turned to Ian.

"Colonel Brooks."

Surprising all of them – including Gunny, who was well aware of who Ian was and the fact that the press had pretty much labeled him as one of the most unapproachable people _ever_ – Ian offered the man his hand.

"Tell me your range is closed…"

Jack snorted.

"Don't worry, Ian," he told him. "No one can sneak in here."

Gunny shook his hand.

"If they do, we'll shoot them."

Even Ian smiled at that.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Do you _really_ have to leave so soon…?"

Cassie nodded, although she couldn't help the wistful smile that she gave her mother in law.

"I'm afraid so. Carson and I are working on figuring out that Wraith virus, and he's going to need me back as soon as possible."

Sam frowned.

"But you only just got here."

She hadn't had enough time with her and Ian, yet.

They were taking a break from their shopping, sitting in a small café that the Secret Service had pretty much cleared out to afford them a little space after being followed all morning by gawkers, media and nosy tourists who kept pointing and commenting on everything that any of the women chose to purchase – especially when it was small and obviously for one of the children. Sam and Maggie were used to it, Cassie – not so much.

"We'll come back for another visit soon," Cassie promised. "Definitely when Gina has the baby."

The sudden silence around the small table was almost deafening, and Sam was staring at her in shock.

_"The baby?"_


	46. 46

Cassandra Brooks wasn't the genius that her husband was – not too many people _were_, really – but she was definitely smart enough to realize that she'd made a slip. Chagrined, she flushed.

"Forget I said that."

"Gina's _pregnant_?" Sam asked, completely ignoring her. "How do you know that?"

Cassie sighed, exasperated – with herself.

"She told me. We stopped in to see her before we came here and she was acting so weird I asked her what was going on and she told me she was pregnant."

Maggie smiled.

"That's _wonderful_ news! When's the baby due?"

"She didn't know. She was going to set up an appointment to get a prenatal and asked me if I knew anyone I could recommend."

"So she's not _certain_ she's pregnant?" Sam asked.

"She had Ian check for her when he was there getting Murray," Cassie said.

"So she's certain."

_Now_ Sam was grinning, excited at the prospect of a grandchild – and even more, excited at being able to tell Jack. She couldn't wait to call him grandpa.

She nodded.

"_Shawn_ doesn't even know, yet, Sam," Cassie said, wanting to just whack herself for letting the big secret slip. "So don't say anything, okay?"

"I'll try to keep it to myself," Sam promised her, still smiling. "Did she have any idea when she might be due? Did she say _anything_?"

"She wasn't sure," Cassie said. "And said she didn't even want to try and assume until she'd spoken to a doctor."

"_You're_ a doctor."

"Not a _baby_ doctor."

Sam rolled her eyes, but before she could say anything else, Maggie interrupted.

"Why don't we cut our trip short and go give her a call?"

"She'll know I told," Cassie said.

Sam smiled.

"I won't tell her, and neither will Maggie, will you?"

"Nope."

OOOOOOOOOO

It was really a very good morning. Most of the time when Jack had any spare time it was spent with Sam and the kids, which was great – except that they'd decided that Jake had to be at least 14 before he could really start shooting. Which meant it wasn't very often he could go shooting with someone he really wanted to shoot with. He and Sam went occasionally, and he and Nate would face off even more rarely, but it wasn't something that happened more than once a month or so, and the lack of time would be something Jack wouldn't miss when he was done being president, that was for sure.

So having Shawn and Ian both on the range with him was an especially rare treat. River was a decent shot, but he was first and foremost a _pilot_, and as such he'd made it quite plain that he didn't _need_ to be Rambo. Shawn had learned from Jack, of course – and the instructors at the academy, and Ian had been shooting since he was younger than Jake was – and had perfected his own proficiency with help from Teal'c and Bra'tac.

Not surprisingly, Gunny was impressed. And it took a lot to impress a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant.

"Where did you learn to shoot, Colonel?" he'd finally asked when they'd stopped for a break.

"I taught him everything he knows," River said.

Ian rolled his eyes.

"My uncle taught me, mostly."

Gunny nodded.

"I'd have thought your dad, but your style isn't the same as his. It's easy to see that Jack here taught Shawn – they shoot the same way."

Ian shook his head.

"It was my uncle. Mostly."

"And you taught River?"

"If you can call it that," Ian said. "He's not a very good student."

And Ian hadn't been able to intimidate River like he could intimidate pretty much everyone else around him – especially those new recruits that the SGC kept sending to Atlantis.

"Hey, I'm a _good_ shot," River objected. "I just don't sleep with my gun like _some_ guys I know."

Since Shawn, River and even Jack all kept weapons in their nightstands next to their beds, none of them said a word. They just changed the subject to something else, and eventually headed back to the range.

Ian had figured that Jack was pointedly ignoring the whole _have an Ancient as an extra bodyguard_ thing, but Jack surprised him by moving over to walk beside him as they were heading back to the range and lagging behind the others a little, drawing Ian back with him.

"When we get done here, why don't you go find this Ancient guy? I want a chance to meet him."

"Really?"

Jack scowled at the surprise in Ian's expression.

"I didn't say _yes_, yet. I just want a chance to talk to him."

"To interrogate him and make sure he doesn't have any ulterior motives…?" Ian asked, with a slight smile.

"Something like that. I'm going to have Daniel there, too."

Since Daniel knew more about the Ancients than Jack did it wasn't a big surprise, and Ian didn't take it personally. He figured the more comfortable Jack was with Chelani the better, and if it took an interrogation from Jack and a million questions from Daniel… well, that was what the Ancients would have to put up with.

"I'll bring him around for lunch."

Jack hesitated, and then nodded.

"Fine."

Then Sam could have a chance to meet him, too. Unless she already had.


	47. 47

"He doesn't look much like an alien…"

Daniel followed Jack's gaze as they both watched Ian and the stranger being escorted into the room by a senior agent. Both men were dressed in slacks and button down shirts, but no jackets or ties, and both looked perfectly at ease.

"Shawn doesn't, either," Daniel reminded him.

"Shawn's _half and half_," Jack said.

"So is this guy."

"He is?"

"Yeah."

Jack frowned.

"How do you know that?"

Jack had expected a full Ancient. Who knew if this guy could do what they'd said he could do? Jack knew that Shawn couldn't, after all.

"Sam told me."

"Huh."

Jack had met up with Sam and Cassie for a few minutes after they'd finished their morning of shooting, and he couldn't remember her looking more pleased. About what, he wasn't sure, since she didn't tell him when he asked, but it had to be good, because she'd practically been glowing. If he hadn't known better, he'd have thought she was pregnant or something, because she definitely had that same smug _I've got a secret_ look that she'd had before she'd told him she was going to have Nia.

Which was fine with him, really, because her mood affected him as much as his affected hers, and as far as he was concerned, the two of them had been through enough in the last week. Which was really one of the reasons he was actually considering this whole alien bodyguard thing, really. To keep anything else bad from happening to her. He'd put up with pretty much anything for her, after all.

Before Daniel could gloat about knowing something he didn't, Ian and Chelani were at the table.

"Jack," Ian said. "Meet my friend, _Jim_."

Jack and Daniel stood up, and Jim offered Jack his hand – a little awkwardly.

"Mr. President, it is a pleasure to meet you…"

He didn't even _sound_ like an alien. He sounded like every high level executive who had approached Jack with some hope for policy change, or an idea for some new program – or just wanted to be able to say that they'd had lunch (or dinner, or drinks, or anything) with the President. His voice was even and unaccented, and his grammar perfect. He'd obviously been studying – or maybe he'd had the language simply beamed into his head like Thor had given Shawn the Asgard's so many years before.

Whatever it was, he was glad there wasn't some whacked out accent to try and get around, and he actually smiled when he shook hands.

"Jim, huh? Nice to meet you."

Jim was better than _Zartac_ or something equally B movie-ish. He wondered if Ian had helped him come up with it. Daniel cleared his throat, pointedly, and Jack rolled his eyes.

"Meet my impatient friend, Doctor Daniel Jackson."

Daniel shook hands with Chelani with a broad smile.

"I've been looking forward to this," he said, honestly.

"Thank you for meeting me," Chelani replied.

"Have a seat," Jack suggested, waving off the staff and the secret service agents. This wasn't a meeting that he wanted company at – and they'd respect his wishes, he knew.

Chelani sat down across from Jack while Ian took the spot across from Daniel, and Jack played host by telling them all to go ahead and start eating. He wasn't quite ready to start his interrogation, after all.

Lunch was already waiting for them on the table; a simple meal of pasta salad with chicken chunks and the makings for sandwiches, with iced tea, beer and a couple of different wines to choose from, so it didn't take long for them to load up plates with food. Jack had no idea what to really expect from Chelani, but he was relieved to see that the guy had no problems making himself feel at home and seemed to like the foods he'd chosen. That was important, since if he was going to fit in, he had to actually _fit in_.

Obviously Daniel had been watching him, too, because he spoke up before he'd had much more than a few bites to eat.

"So it's okay?"

Chelani nodded.

"It's wonderful. I've never tried such things before."

"You've never had roast beef?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"He's been ascended for the last ten years, Daniel," Ian reminded him. "Before that-"

"I'd prefer not to discuss that period of my life," Chelani said, quickly, with a pained look.

Ian nodded, and passed over one of the beers.

"Try that."

Chelani sniffed it suspiciously.

"What is it?"

"_Beer_," Jack said, with a slight smile at finding himself telling a grownup about beer.

"It's a drink made of fermented hops, barley and yeast," Daniel explained. "Jack can explain it to you sometime."

Assuming Jack was willing to allow him to stick around, of course.

"Sure," Jack said, shrugging. "We'll even try making it sometime."

"Didn't you try that a few years back?" Ian asked. "I remember Sam writing to me that you'd made yourself sick."

"I just messed up the recipe, that's all. Too much fermentation."

Daniel made a rude noise.

"And it _tasted_ worse than anything I've ever tried."

"Don't listen to him, Jim," Jack told Chelani, taking a drink of his beer. "He's tried all sorts of awful things that were worse than the stuff I made."

Chelani nodded uncertainly, but Ian grinned.

"You'll get used to his sense of humor," he assured the Ancient.

"Eventually," Daniel said.

"So what do you have that I don't already have protecting me?" Jack asked, suddenly.

Chelani had been warned by Ian and Sam that Jack would start his questions when he was ready and would probably try to put the Ancient off guard, so he was ready for the sudden question. Not to mention, he had been the host to the unlamented Anubis, who had for all his faults been a quick thinker.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device, handing it to Jack.

"This is one of those personal shielding devices like you have on Atlantis?" he asked Ian.

Ian shook his head.

"It's a temporal distortial device," Chelani said.

"A what?"

"It'll freeze time," Daniel guessed.

Ian shook his head, but it was Chelani who spoke.

"Close but no. It'll _slow_ time, though, and allow your security guys to take care of any threat."

Jack frowned.

"Won't _they_ be frozen, too?"

"No," Chelani told him. "They can be excluded from the effects of the distortion with a simple device that I can supply each of them with."

"We don't want them to know what you are," Jack said, looking at the device a little more closely. It was pretty impressive after all; for all that it looked like some kind of simple doohicky. "What kind of side affects does it have?" he asked. "We don't want the Earth to stop spinning or something."

Chelani shook his head.

"It's a local effect only. A few miles at the most with no lasting harm to anyone it is used on. And it can be turned off easily."

"We can feed the exclusion signal through the headsets they already wear," Ian suggested, looking at Chelani questioningly. He didn't know any more about the device than any of them – although he could make some educated guessed.

Chelani nodded.

"And I _do_ have a personal shielding device to supply you with."

"And Sam and the kids?"

"If you wish."

Jack nodded, thoughtfully, and then shrugged.

"We could give it a try."


	48. 48

_Author's Note: Sorry this took a bit, I couldn't find it once I'd written it! On the plus side, I'm already nearing completion on the next one so there shouldn't be much of a wait._

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So how did it go?"

Sam, of course, had been waiting to hear from Ian and Chelani, sitting with Cassie in the small room that was her own private sanctuary. She'd left a message for the two to join them as soon as they were finished with lunch, and of course Ian had gone. Between the two, there wasn't a lot Sam and Cassandra couldn't get him to do – and _this_ wasn't even something that was all that difficult.

"He's going to go for it," Chelani said, looking pleased and somewhat surprised.

No more than Sam did when he'd said it.

_"Really?"_

Ian nodded.

"He said he'd _give it a try_."

"How did you do that?" Cassie asked, amazed.

Ian shrugged.

"It was almost too easy," he told her. "I used Sam and the kids."

Sam figured it out first, of course.

"You used the safety card."

He nodded.

"And Chelani threw some technology at him that just can't be turned down."

Which of course piqued _Sam's_ interest even further.

"What kind of technology?"

Cassie snickered at the complete change of subject, not at all surprised.

"I told him of a temporal distorter – a device that-"

"You'll have plenty of time to talk to her about it later," Ian said, interrupting Chelani's explanation. "Right now we have other things to talk about."

"Like what?" Cassie asked, curiously, especially since she knew him well enough to know that the tone of voice he was using meant that it was something relatively serious..

"Like what your back up plan is…" he said directly to Chelani.

"I don't know what you mean."

"What are you going to do if – God forbid – someone attacks _Jack_ while at the same time somewhere else someone attacks Sam or the kids?"

Chelani hesitated, but then seemed to make a decision.

"If that happens they will still all be safe. All will be watched – at all times."

Sam frowned.

"Not _all_ times," she corrected.

Cassie smirked, giving her a sly glance, but Ian nodded, still serious.

"You have others in place?"

"We will have them watching at all times, Ian. The _children_, at least, since they do not require the privacy that Jack and Sam will. If something happens, the temporal distortion devices will make it possible for all situations to be taken care of with relative ease and a guarantee of success."

"Why don't we get ourselves one of these temporal things?" Cassie asked Ian.

"We have one on order," he told her. "Jack and Sam come first, though."

Sam had a feeling he wasn't joking, even though his tone was relatively light.

"Do you have any other concerns I need to address?" Chelani asked all of them.

"Where are you going to _sleep_?" Cassie asked.

"We'll put him up in one of the rooms next to the nursery," Sam replied. "They're pretty much guest rooms for visiting family, but since Shawn rarely visits they don't get used very often."

Cassie smiled.

"They might be visiting _more_, now…"

Ian caught the tone in her voice, and there was no missing Sam's answering grin – which was anticipatory and delighted.

"You know?"

Cassie nodded.

"Gina told me when I was there…"

"She asked _me_ not to tell anyone…" Ian said, pointedly.

"She didn't say that to me…" Cassie replied a little sheepishly. "And I didn't know _Sam_ didn't know when I let the cat out of the bag."

Chelani frowned.

"What cat?"

"It's just an expression," Sam explained. "It means she let me in on a secret."

"Oh." Chelani hesitated. "You are referring to the impending birth of your grandson?"

"Grand_son_?" Sam echoed.

"That's what she was referring to," Ian confirmed, shaking his head at the fact that Cassie wasn't the only one to let a cat out of a bag, apparently. "Does Jack know?"

He doubted it, since he hadn't said anything at lunch – or that morning while they'd been shooting.

"Not yet," Sam confirmed. "I figured we'd let Shawn or Gina tell him."

"Once Gina tells Shawn," Ian said.

Sam smiled.

"I'll be sure to keep it to myself until they have a chance to mention it."

It was only fair that they be able to surprise someone with the news, after all.

"Are all your concerns laid to rest?" Chelani asked Ian, changing the subject.

Ian shrugged.

"If I think of any more I'll let you know."

The young Ancient nodded.

"I will be at your disposal."

Ian nodded. He expected nothing less.

"And you know where to find me if you need me…"

"Yes."

Cassie looked at Sam.

"What are you guys going to tell the Secret Service? Is he going to be a long lost relative?"

"He's going to be an old friend of mine," Ian replied before Sam could.

"One who is mooching off his friend's friends," Chelani added. "And taking advantage of their good nature."

Cassie smiled.

"He doesn't know Jack all that well, does he?"

"He'll learn," Sam said, also smiling. "He'll have plenty of time, to."


	49. 49

"Are you _sure_ you have to leave?"

Ian nodded, ruffling the hair of the twins – who were standing on either side of him.

"I need to get back before McKay decides I've abandoned my duties and tries to take over the training scenarios."

Sam smiled.

"Is that the voice of experience talking?"

"Of course."

They were gathered in a small group in the foyer that led to the rear entrance of the White House. Cassie was there, with the twins and Maggie, as were Jack, Sam, Shawn and River. Chelani was distracting Nia and Jacob, who had already said their goodbyes to Ian the evening before, and Ian didn't want to see them get all mushy and teary-eyed if they had to say goodbye again. (And he didn't want anyone to see _him_ get mushy, either, if he could avoid it.)

"When are you coming back?" Jack asked.

Ian looked over at River, obviously considering their schedules. He shrugged, though.

"I'm not sure, Jack. As soon as I can – and sooner, if I can swing it."

"I'll make sure he comes soon," River assured them all, grinning as he cuddled Murray against his chest. The puppy, of course, was loving the attention, and River was thinking that maybe he'd see about getting a dog, too. Maybe Shawn and Gina would consider letting _him_ have one of the same litter Murray was from – when they were ready to be separated from their mother. That way he'd always have a co-pilot.

Jack smiled.

"You do that."

"I'll be happy if you can just teach him how to use a _telephone_," Maggie Brooks said with some asperity that didn't fool anyone.

"It's a little difficult to call from Atlantis, mom," Ian reminded her. "The phone lines keep cutting out."

"Smart ass."

The twins giggled, and Maggie reached over and pulled both of them into her arms.

"You didn't hear grandma say that…" she told them.

They giggled again, but didn't argue, knowing full well that she had said it and knowing that she knew they wouldn't forget it. Maggie had had plenty of experience dealing with little boys with photographic memories, after all.

Ian turned to Cassie.

"You'll be back in a week?"

She nodded.

"Tell Carson to call me if that presents a problem and I'll come back sooner."

Ian wouldn't tell him any such thing, of course, but he didn't tell Cassie that. As far as _he_ was concerned, she deserved a vacation and he was glad that she was taking a little time off to spend with the boys. Even better that she was spending it with his mom and Sam and Jack (who wouldn't be around all that much, but was still going to _be_ there). It was also going to be interesting, because Shawn was staying, too, waiting in D.C. for Gina, who was flying in that very morning.

Ian was half tempted to wait around and see his friend's reaction to the news he was going to be a father, but duty called, and he had long since grown used to missing out on some things because of it.

He nodded, and gave her a slight smile, but nothing more. Like Jacob and Nia, Ian had already said goodbye to Cassie, too, and she'd given him a very sweet send off the night before. The boys were another matter, though, and he took them both from his mother and gave them a bear hug, one in each arm.

"You guys take care of your mom, okay?"

They nodded, smiling up at him, proud to have been given such an important job. After all, taking care of Cassie was _his_ job, and he'd told them that more than once.

Ian smiled down at them, amazed that such little things could mean so much to him.

"And watch out for _grandma_, too."

"We will," Carter assured him.

"Until grandpa gets back," Michael added.

Then they'd lose that job.

Maggie smiled and took them back, but gave Ian a quick hug.

"Be good."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Sam smiled, knowing that the young recruits that Ian trained on Atlantis would never have believed it if someone had told them just how pliable he was when it came to his mother. She knew no one would dare tell them, either, though.

She gave him a hug, too, holding him as close as Maggie had.

"You'll come back soon?"

"I don't know about _soon_…" he told her, brushing a kiss against her cheek. "But I'll try."

"Good."

Jack had been saying his own goodbye to River – and had taken Murray back from him, cradling the puppy in his still powerful hands, although Murray was in little danger of being harmed when Jack held him.

"I'll walk out with you guys…" he said.

Ian and River nodded, and River gave the twins a quick hug – and was _always_ more than willing to bestow kisses and hugs upon the women in the group – while Ian reached down and picked up both of their bags.

The walk to the grove that hid the invisible Gateship was a silent one, but Ian had a feeling that Jack wanted to talk for a minute. Obviously River assumed the same thing, because when they reached the ship – and it became visible at the press of a button in River's hand – he took their bags from Ian and told him that he was going to do a preflight check. Which left Ian and Jack standing at the rear of the ship, Murray watching both of them with interest.

"You going to be okay to fly home?"

Ian nodded.

"It's a lot faster this way than if I took a commercial flight."

Or even a military flight like Gina was taking.

"Good." Jack was quiet for a minute, stroking Murray's ears with his free hand. But then he spoke again. "Thanks."

Ian nodded.

"You're welcome, Jack."

"I owe you big."

Ian shook his head.

"You don't owe me anything. You never will. If anything, I owe you…"

"What do you mean?"

Ian snorted, softly.

"You know I wasn't the nicest guy when we first met…"

Jack smiled.

"I noticed that. You're a good man, though."

Ian nodded.

"I'm a good man because of the way my mother raised me – even though I'm sure she wanted to give up on it a million times."

Which elicited another smile from Jack.

"So what do you owe _me_ for?" he asked, curiously.

"Because I'm a good husband and father thanks to _you_," Ian told him, sincerely. "You showed me how to love someone and treat them in a way that didn't smother them, but still show them that they were the most important thing in the world to you. I never would have figured that out on my own."

"You underestimate yourself," Jack said, pleased and feeling just a little gooey inside at the implied compliment. A rarity coming from Ian, especially. "You'd have figured it out."

Ian gave him a wry smile, and shook his head.

"Not a chance."

Uncertain what to say, Jack opted for not replying to it. Instead, he shifted Murray into his left arm and held out his hand.

"Come back soon, okay?"

Ian smiled and took the hand.

"I will. We'll go shooting again."

Murray yipped, his tail thumping against Jack's side as if in complete agreement, and Ian scratched his ears, feeling as good as he ever had.

It'd been a good trip, despite the painful reason for coming.


	50. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

The little boys were silent, walking through the forest with an ease that plainly said they'd done such things plenty of times. The one of the left carried a large pistol; the one on the right carried a rifle that was much longer than his arm. Both were watching the woods around them with caution as they moved, but never hesitated in their steps.

A sound made the one on the right stop, his dark eyes looking over for the source of the noise, but his twin grabbed him and pulled him to the side – just in time to avoid a stream of water that came from out of nowhere it seemed.

Carter giggled, and returned fire, aiming for the trees to their right as Michael dropped to the ground and fired the rifle as soon as he had a stable support. Water surged from the rifle in a steady, powerful stream, and he heard a muffled curse only a moment later coming from behind the leafy barrier.

"Got him!"

He struggled to his feet, tangling up with his weapon, and was almost immediately hit with a barrage of water from the left. A moment later, Carter was soaking wet as well, and both boys dropped their water guns, grinning hugely as they admitted defeat.

The branches of the trees on the left parted, and a soaking wet Cassandra Brooks stepped out, wearing a very wet jumpsuit and carrying a large squirt gun in her right hand.

"Got _me_," she corrected.

"Good job, guys," Ian Brooks told them, coming out from behind the brush behind them. His uniform was bone dry, and the squirt gun he carried was pretty much empty, evidence that both boys had borne the brunt of his attack.

"We got beat," Michael said, although he didn't lose his smile.

"Did you have fun?" Ian asked, pointedly.

Both boys nodded. It was always fun to spend time like this with their mom and dad – and Cassie and Ian made sure they had a clear area in their schedule for just such an event at least once a week.

"Then it doesn't matter if you got beat," Cassie told him, hugging him.

"Besides," Ian added. "You beat _mom_, here. That's something."

Carter grinned at his drenched mother.

"Good point."

Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Time for you to learn one more lesson, boys," she said, raising her water gun and soaking Ian with an unrelenting stream of water. He sputtered, but didn't have a chance to reciprocate, not with his own water tanks depleted.

Both boys giggled, and Cassie winked at them.

Lesson learned.

OOOOOOOOO

Mary Jean Fortier loved her job and it showed. A descendant of one of the builders of the original White House, she loved the old building very much – even though it had been greatly changed in the years between when her many times great grandfather had helped complete it and the present day. She loved everything about the building, and more importantly she loved showing it off – especially to children who looked at the world around them with huge, excited eyes and listened with interest to the stories she told them about the construction of the place, the remodel, and especially the people who lived there.

Right now, she was in middle of a tour with a group of elementary children from a school somewhere in Florida. They'd told her the name, but she'd never heard of the town, and hadn't had a chance to look it up before taking them. Not that that really mattered all that much. These children had been fun for her. They were well behaved (with the help of several chaperones), and asked all sorts of questions – which Mary Jean really liked, since it gave her a chance to do something _else_ that she enjoyed. Talk.

She'd taken them through the library, the East Room, the Green Room and the Blue Room, and was now leading them and their teachers towards the Entrance Hall, figuring that she'd give them a special treat since they'd been so attentive thus far.

"We're now coming into the entrance hall," she told the children, who were looking around and whispering excitedly, pointing at the large impressive staircase that led upstairs. "This is where the President meets with ambassadors and other important people who come to the White House to visit," she said. "The staircase is something some of you might have seen on TV, since usually the President will arrive for important functions with the First Lady on his arm, and they'll walk down this staircase first so everyone can greet them…"

"Will we get to see them?" one of the boys asked, raising his hand belatedly.

"The President?" Mary Jean asked, making sure she knew who he was referring to.

The boy nodded, and the others around him looked excited at the prospect. Especially since they'd all seen the newest picture that hung in the library. A picture of President Jack O'Neill walking with his wife on one side and his beloved – and still greatly missed – Jaffer, on the other. It was a fine piece, and had been a gift sent to the White House by an English painter who just so happened to be a great admirer of Jack O'Neill – and a lover of Labs. The children all knew about Jaffer, and knew that the President's new puppy was his grandson. They'd all been looking around, hoping to get a peek at him.

Mary Jean shook her head.

"I'm afraid that we won't. The President is in the White House today –" Which they already knew, since she'd warned them at the start of the tour that if something came up, it was possible they'd have to cut the tour short. "But I believe he's in meetings all morning with an ambassador from-"

"_Hey!"_ A yell from above cut her off, and she looked up, startled. Just in time to see a gangly black form come pelting down the stairs, tail wagging furiously and a piece of paper in his mouth.

As the children, the chaperones and Mary Jean watched in stunned amazement, Murray hit the end of the formal staircase and went galloping down the hall startling a couple of Secret Service Agents who had looked around at the yell.

Before anyone had a chance to recover from that shock, they received another one. The President of the United States, dressed in a suit and tie, came around the corner and started down the stairs, followed by a Japanese man who was dressed equally formally and holding yet another piece of paper in his hand.

"_Murray!"_

The puppy didn't even hesitate. And he didn't slow down.

Jack O'Neill bit back a curse as his gaze went from his retreating puppy to the small crowd of children who were watching in surprised awe.

"Well don't just _stand_ there," he told them, waving them off. "You get my trade agreement back and I'll buy you all the ice cream you can eat."

The kids went from shocked to excited in an instant, and as a group ran down the hall, shouting for Murray to stop, and causing the Secret Service agents who watched them rush by to hesitate only a moment and then follow after them.

Jack panted, trying to catch his breath, and looked over at the dignitary who was standing beside him, also trying to catch his breath. Running down hallways wasn't something either had expected to do that day – and neither had dressed for the occasion.

"Don't worry, Hito," he said, patting his shoulder with a sheepish smile. "We'll get it back."

The man echoed his smile, but it was slightly forced.

"As long as it is not in the same condition as Yuri Petranov's watch."

Jack looked chagrined.

"You heard about that, huh?"

The Japanese ambassador smiled, and now it was completely amused and not at all forced.

"Why do you think I did not take off my _ring_? Or leave any pens lying around? I have been forewarned. _We all have_."

Huh.

A cheer of excitement echoed through the formal hallway and around the corner came a large group, led by a little blonde boy carrying Jack's wayward puppy, who still had the slobber-soaked paper in his mouth and a completely unapologetic expression.

"He'll grow out of it," Jack assured the ambassador. "Jaffer did."

Eventually.

**The End!**


End file.
